Washington, Oct 8
US President Donald Trump said that some furloughed federal employees may not receive back pay once the government reopens, following earlier threats to lay off federal workers during shutdown.
"I would say it depends on who we're talking about. I can tell you this, the Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on who you're talking about," Trump said at the White House Oval Office.
"But for the most part, we're going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of, and we will take care of them in a different way," he said.
The US president did not provide further details on which furloughed federal employees might not receive back pay, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier in the day, Axios reported that furloughed federal workers are not guaranteed compensation for their forced time off during the government shutdown, citing a draft White House memo.
As Trump continued to blame Democrats for the shutdown stalemate, Democratic leaders blamed Republicans.
"The Republicans shut down the government instead of fixing health care for Americans across this country," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X.
After the previous government shutdown, which lasted 35 days and ended in January 2019, Trump signed a law guaranteeing back pay for federal employees affected by future shutdowns.
Before the law was passed, the US Congress routinely approved back pay for federal workers once a funding bill was approved to reopen the government.
Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed during this shutdown, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office last week.
Federal workers deemed essential -- such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers -- will continue working without pay until the government reopens.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that the government shutdown is adding pressure on already overworked air traffic controllers.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Both parties are playing blame games while ordinary workers suffer. Air traffic controllers working without pay? That's dangerous for public safety! 😟
"Some people don't deserve to be taken care of" - what kind of statement is this from a leader? Every worker deserves dignity and fair compensation for their work.
As someone who works in government services in India, I can understand the stress these American workers must be feeling. Hope they get their back pay as promised in the 2019 law.
The political drama in Washington affects real people's lives. Essential workers continuing without pay - this is exactly why strong labor protections are needed worldwide.
While I respect different political systems, this situation shows why stable governance matters. In India, we've seen how policy uncertainty affects common people. Hope US resolves this quickly! 🇮🇳
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.