The White House released a memo on Tuesday, prepared by the Office of Management and Budget, arguing that furloughed federal employees are not entitled to back pay during a government shutdown.
President Trump was questioned by reporters on Tuesday about whether federal employees would receive back pay.
“I would say it depends on who we’re talking about,” he replied. "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. But for the most part, we are 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."
Q: Is it the White House's position that furloughed workers should receive back pay?
— FactPost (@factpostnews) October 7, 2025
Trump: I would say it depends on who we're talking about. 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. pic.twitter.com/zeLSsfjaLX
Due to the required back pay, the government shutdown costs American taxpayers roughly $400 million a day.
The memo referenced a 2019 law meant to guarantee back pay for federal workers. However, the administration argues that it is not required to provide back pay to furloughed employees.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters on Tuesday that "Every single furloughed federal employee is entitled to back pay. Period. Full stop.” Other Democrats argued the same.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said that doubt over the 2019 law alone should be enough to get Democrats to agree to the GOP-led funding bill through November. “That, if true, should increase the urgency for Democrats to do the right thing here,” he said.
Johnson did say he personally supports compensating furloughed federal workers.
President Trump also said that Russ Vought, the Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget, is preparing a list of government programs he wants to “permanently eliminate,” with a formal announcement coming soon.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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