US President Donald Trump indicated on Monday that federal employees furloughed during the government shutdown might not receive back pay once the government reopens. This statement follows his repeated threats to fire a large number of federal workers during the funding impasse.
The president made the remarks at the White House during a meeting with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. When asked by reporters about compensating furloughed workers, Trump stated that the matter depends on who is being discussed, adding that some people do not truly deserve to be taken care of and will be treated differently.
Earlier in the day, several U.S. media outlets, citing a draft White House memorandum, reported that the administration could not guarantee automatic back pay for employees forced onto furlough. In response, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries asserted that the law clearly stipulates that federal employees should receive their back pay, stating, "Every single furloughed federal employee is entitled to be made whole."
U.S. media noted that following the shutdown from late 2018 to early 2019, then-President Trump signed a law ensuring that federal workers affected by any future government shutdowns would promptly receive back pay.
The current government shutdown began at 12:01 am Eastern Daylight Time on Oct. 1, after the Senate failed to pass a new temporary funding bill before existing funds expired. This marks the first federal shutdown in nearly seven years. The Congressional Budget Office previously estimated that the lapse in funding would force approximately 750,000 federal employees to be furloughed. Military personnel, border patrol agents, air traffic controllers, and other workers deemed "essential" are required to work without pay.
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