Wednesday, October 8, 2025

White House memo says furloughed workers might not get back pay

from Politico

Furloughed federal workers may not be eligible for back pay after the government shutdown, according to a memo circulated by the White House, another escalation in its pressure campaign against Senate Democrats.

When asked about it at the Oval Office Tuesday, President Donald Trump said that while the administration has a keen interest in taking “care of our people,” “there are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”

Axios first reported on the memo, which was later confirmed to POLITICO by administration officials in the White House and Office of Management and Budget. They were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the issue. 

“I would say it depends on who we’re talking about,” Trump said. “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.”

The memo appears to contravene the 2019 “Government Employee Fair Treatment Act,” signed by Trump during his first term after a partial shutdown that stretched over 35 days. And it paints a cloudy economic picture for the 750,000 federal workers currently under furlough.

Speaker Mike Johnson, who voted for the 2019 law guaranteeing back pay, told reporters Tuesday that “there will be a lot of discussion about” the White House memo before saying “I hope that the furloughed workers receive back pay.”...

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