This immediate change in status for Federal workers furloughed seems to come straight form OMB Director Vought, who appears to be Trump’s muscle man against Federal workers during this partial government shutdown….
Ah?
President Trump signed off on furloughed Federal employee’s getting paid during a shutdown during his first term in office….
Congress IS sure to have federal workers furloughed get paid due to that Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019
Trump would lose this hands down in court one would think….
The suffering and bad media would cost them votes in next years midterm elections that Vought and Trump are NOT running in….
*UPDATE….
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Axios on Thursday that “of course” Congress will ensure furloughed federal workers get back pay once the government reopens.
Why it matters: The White House has made clear that back pay isn’t a guarantee, but Johnson signaled that furloughed workers shouldn’t worry.
- Johnson wasn’t familiar with the latest argument from the Trump administration that Congress would need to appropriate the funds.
- But Johnson emphasized that he would move to ensure workers get back pay if necessary.
- “My understanding is federal law has always been pretty settled on that, and it’s always custom that furloughed federal employees get back pay,” he told Axios.
State of play: An OMB draft memo, first reported by Axios’ Marc Caputo, argued that furloughed federal workers aren’t automatically entitled to pay for their time off during a shutdown.
- In emails from the 2019 government shutdown, also first reported by Axios, OMB noted that the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA) was quietly amended days after passage to clarify that back pay isn’t automatic.
- According to OMB’s interpretation of the law, Congress would need to explicitly authorize the funds, which Johnson indicated he’s prepared to do…..
…
The newest guidance contradicts the IRS’ initial guidance in its furlough decision letter, which is still posted on the agency’s website and includes a reminder that “employees must be compensated on the earliest date possible after the [government funding] lapse ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates,” as per the 2019 law President Donald Trump signed.
The initial letter came a day after a White House memo suggested furloughed federal employees might not receive back pay.
The move will likely roil employees who have seen the federal workforce as a relatively stable career path. The Trump administration has spent much of the year unwinding the federal government, and in the process has terminated or offered deferred resignations to tens of thousands of people. The IRS itself has shed more than 26,000 workers this year.
Earlier this week, the Interior Department similarly reversed guidance on back pay, POLITICO reported.
The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. And the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents IRS workers, declined to comment….
….
Pressuring Democrats, Johnson rules out standalone troop pay bill
Speaker Mike Johnson told House Republicans on a private call Thursday that he doesn’t plan to put a standalone bill to pay troops up for a vote before they miss paychecks Oct. 15, arguing the Senate would kill that measure while Democrats also block an already-passed stopgap bill that includes servicemember pay.
Johnson also made clear he doesn’t plan to bring the House back next week, or at all, until the Senate passes the continuing resolution the chamber passed weeks ago, according to five people granted anonymity to describe the call. He said the House would remain on 48-hour recall notice indefinitely.
On the call, Johnson sought to tamp down a growing push among rank-and-file House Republicans by pressing them to deliver a clear message as to why a separate troop pay bill is unnecessary: House Republicans passed a bill weeks ago that funds troops, air traffic, floor insurance and more, Johnson argued.
“We’ve done our job,” he said, adding that Republicans should use their franking privileges to get that message out.
Several House Republicans raised their concerns to Johnson directly about his plans to keep the House out on recess indefinitely, according to the people on the call….
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