Democrats float immediately paying feds working through shutdown as Congress again rejects bill to reopen government

Amid a push to ensure members of the military receive on-time pay even if a shutdown continues to drag on, some Senate Democrats said on Thursday they would advocate for civilian employees to also get their paychecks on a normal schedule. 

The Senate on Thursday for the seventh time rejected a stopgap funding bill to reopen government through Nov. 21, pushing the shutdown past its ninth day. The chamber may vote again on Friday, but lawmakers are still not engaging in serious negotiations to open the government and the funding lapse appears poised to drag on through the weekend and into next week. 

By mid-week, if the government remains closed, employees across government and military would see part of their paychecks withheld for the days of the most recent pay period in which the shutdown was in effect. Lawmakers in both parties have expressed an interest in avoiding that outcome for the armed forces, with Democrats floating legislative solutions that would ensure on-time pay. 

Nearly 80 House Democrats signed onto a letter this week asking Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to bring up the bipartisan Pay Our Troops Act (H.R. 5401) for a vote. The measure, introduced last month by Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., with 148 cosponsors from both parties, would ensure military personnel, Defense Department civilians and contractors and U.S. Coast Guard staff all receive pay on a normal schedule. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has thrown his support behind the push to ensure troops are paid on time, which Congress similarly authorized during the 2013 shutdown. The House remains on recess, however, and Johnson has so far said he will not call members back for a vote on the bill. 

In the Senate, some Democrats want to go further than just guaranteeing on-time pay for military personnel. 

“Not just our military, but other emergency, other public safety and national security personnel,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said of the pay effort. “In other words, a number of the different jobs that are essential to the core functions of our government.” 

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., suggested targeting billionaires with a new tax that would raise revenue to pay military members and air traffic controllers on time during the shutdown. He added lawmakers could “have a debate” about who else would be included in the group of workers who are paid on a normal schedule. The Federal Aviation Administration has reported an increased rate of absenteeism among air traffic controllers this week, as employees facing the threat of working without pay are starting to call out more than usual.

More than 1.5 million civilian federal employees are currently working during the shutdown, most of whom will not get paid until the government reopens. Another 620,000 are currently furloughed, who are by law guaranteed back pay but the Trump administration has threatened to withhold it. 

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said lawmakers are “having some discussions” on what workers they might authorize to receive immediate pay if the shutdown continues, adding, “hopefully we can figure out a way that folks are not missing paychecks.” 

“I don't want folks to miss a paycheck, but I don't want just the military not to miss a paycheck,” Peters said. “I want other government employees not to miss their paycheck too. We have air traffic controllers and TSA agents. I mean, just go down the list.” 

Not all Democrats were on board with the approach. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said he would support ensuring on-time pay for the troops, but appeared to draw the line there. 

“It sucks,” Gallego said of the civil servants who would continue working without pay, “but we have to make choices.” He added military personnel are often underpaid relative to their civilian counterparts. 

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he was reviewing various proposals to ensure military members do not miss paychecks. He acknowledged that civil servants would not be afforded the same consideration but noted they were guaranteed back pay. 

Asked what message it would send to pay military members on time but allow civilians’ paychecks to be delayed, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said, “Not a good one.” 

Several other Democrats declined to take a position on authorizing immediate pay for anyone during a shutdown, saying only that Republicans should negotiate with them to reopen the government and ensure no one’s checks are delayed. 

Democrats are taking additional steps to mitigate the shutdown’s impacts. A group of senators introduced legislation to require financial institution regulators to issue guidance recommending banks and credit unions ensure federal workers do not face late payments, overdraft fees or credit damage during the shutdown. They also wrote a letter to those agencies encouraging them to proactively take such steps. Several lawmakers this week also encouraged utility companies not to shut off services for any federal workers missing payments while the government remains closed. 

President Trump, meanwhile, continued on Thursday to levy threats to “make cuts that will be permanent” to parts of the government supporting “Democrat programs.” The White House has repeatedly said it would institute widespread layoffs across the government during a shutdown, though such reductions in force have yet to materialize.