{"id":36525,"date":"2025-10-07T19:59:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T19:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=36525"},"modified":"2025-10-07T19:59:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T19:59:20","slug":"furloughed-workers-face-threat-of-no-back-pay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=36525","title":{"rendered":"Furloughed workers face threat of no back pay"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Commuters cross the street near the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) headquarters on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n

Al Drago | Getty Images News | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Government shutdowns have historically been an precarious time for federal workers, both for those required to remain on the job without pay and those furloughed. This shutdown<\/a> comes with added financial uncertainty.<\/p>\n

A draft memo from the White House, first reported by Axios<\/a> and confirmed to NBC News<\/a> by the White House, suggests<\/a> not all federal workers on furlough are entitled to receive back pay once the government reopens. Asked about back pay<\/a>, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, \u201cI would say it depends on who we\u2019re talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really depends on who you\u2019re talking about,\u201d Trump said. \u201cBut for the most part, we\u2019re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don\u2019t deserve to be taken care of, and we\u2019ll take care of them in a different way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump has also threatened mass firings<\/a>, if Democrats won\u2019t agree to the GOP funding proposal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Back pay guaranteed by law<\/h2>\n
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The memo runs counter to a federal law that requires back pay for federal workers after a shutdown ends, and to recent guidance from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

Congress passed the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019<\/a>, and Trump signed it, after the last government shutdown, which lasted for a record 35 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach employee of the United States Government or of a District of Columbia public employer furloughed as a result of a covered lapse in appropriations shall be paid for the period of the lapse in appropriations,\u201d according to the law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In prior shutdowns, Congress would pass a bill to provide federal workers with back pay.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Here\u2019s a look at more stories on how to manage, grow and protect your money for the years ahead.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal workers, called the administration\u2019s argument \u201cfrivolous\u201d and \u201can obvious misinterpretation of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is also inconsistent with the Trump administration\u2019s own guidance from mere days ago, which clearly and correctly states that furloughed employees will receive retroactive pay for the time they were out of work as quickly as possible once the shutdown is over,\u201d Everett Kelley, the national president of AFGE, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The Office of Personnel Management, the government\u2019s equivalent of a human resources department, issued guidance<\/a> dated September 2025 stating that retroactive pay will be available for federal employees affected by a lapse in appropriations \u201cas soon as possible after the lapse in appropriations ends.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n