White House warns furloughed employees are not guaranteed back pay in draft memo

A leaked draft memo from the White House's Office of Management and Budget this week warned furloughed government employees that they are not guaranteed back pay when the government reopens. 

The memo argues that the federal law, which was signed by President Donald Trump in his first term in 2019, was amended to include the line that compensation was "subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse," meaning that Congress needs to specify funds for the back pay, according to Axios.

The 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act has been widely interpreted as meaning all government employees still employed during a government shutdown would be immediately repaid upon the government's reopening.

Trump on Tuesday blamed Democrats for the week-long shutdown and the possibility that government employees might not be compensated when Congress does reopen the government. 

“I can tell you this: The Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “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’ll take care of them in a different way.”

Outgoing Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis slammed the message, stating it was a "terrible message" to send to federal employees who are already worried about the shutdown. 

“I think it’s a horrible message to send to people who are basically hostages right now to the Democrats shutting down the government, not agreeing to a clean [continuing resolution],” Tillis told The Hill. “I think it’s bad strategy." 

If the federal government does decide not to compensate some furloughed employees, it is expected to face legal challenges from federal unions. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.