'There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of;' Trump threatens no back pay for federal workers.
President Donald Trump's comments about potentially withholding back pay for federal employees during the ongoing government shutdown have sparked confusion and criticism from lawmakers and unions.
"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," Trump said.
This stance contrasts with the usual protocol during shutdowns, , that could potentially lead to legal challenges.
The national president, Everett Kelley responded to Trump's comments, saying in part, "The frivolous argument that federal employees are not guaranteed back pay under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act is an obvious misinterpretation of the law. It is also inconsistent with the Trump administration’s 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."
Some Republicans, including , disagree with the president's position. "My assumption is that furloughed workers will get back pay. But that being said, this is very simple: Open up the government and this is a non-issue," Thune said.
, the minority leader, criticized the president's approach, saying, "Trump and his people are trying to threaten, use these people as pawns and say they're not going to get paid, they're not going to get back pay and all of these kinds of things."
The to reopen the government again Wednesday.
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