Shutdown
Protecting federal prisons from shutdown benefits all of us
COMMENTARY | As the federal budget impasse wears on, Bureau of Prisons employees and programs are being further squeezed following a year of hiring freezes and critical vacancies going unfilled.
Democrats float immediately paying feds working through shutdown as Congress again rejects bill to reopen government
In addition to the military, some senators say air traffic controllers and other civil servants should get their paychecks on time even as shutdown drags on.
Cabinet leaders detail how the government shutdown is impacting their agencies
President Donald Trump on Thursday reiterated his threat that he would use the appropriations lapse to justify cutting “Democrat programs.”
IRS walks back retroactive pay guarantee for furloughed feds one day after making it
The agency has deleted the original email from employees' inboxes.
Air traffic control staffing steady, but stress during shutdown worries DOT
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that staff absenteeism in the nation's aviation system is a concern, but added that the current effects are limited.
Exclusive
On Tuesday, the Trump admin said furloughed feds were not guaranteed back pay. On Wednesday, it sent notices saying they were
Just one day after taking a different argument, the Trump administration notes federal law guarantees back pay for employees sent home during a shutdown.
Revived bill aims to ease financial strain on federal employees during shutdown
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., has reintroduced legislation by former Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., that would require regulators to issue new guidance to help prevent financial hardship for federal employees and contractors caused by budget impasse.
Federal employees crowdsource resources to support each other during shutdown
Several nonprofits and state and local governments are offering assistance to civil servants due to the lapse in federal funding.
Trump administration’s claims against automatic furloughed worker backpay lack legal, historical basis
Experts say the White House’s new theory that the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act does not guarantee feds backpay following a shutdown fails a basic tenet of legal analysis.
Trump says he can pick and choose which feds get back pay. Republicans in Congress mostly disagree
Asked if furloughed workers will get retroactively paid, Trump say “it depends.”
Updated
OMB deletes reference to law guaranteeing backpay to furloughed feds from shutdown guidance
An Office of Management and Budget FAQ document now states that only excepted employees forced to work without pay are guaranteed backpay at the conclusion of a lapse in appropriations.
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Senate again votes against ending shutdown, something White House said would trigger layoffs
There is still no path toward reopening government and Trump reiterates RIF threat.
More employees set to receive furlough notices as shutdown drags on
Agency plans will change significantly in the coming days and weeks if Congress fails to reopen government.
Trump administration ‘co-opted the voices’ of Education employees in shutdown blame game, union lawsuit alleges
Furloughed Education Department employees reported that their out-of-office email messages were modified to emphasize that Senate Democrats voted against a GOP government funding measure.
Democrats introduce bill to ease TSP withdrawals, loans during shutdowns
The Emergency Relief for Federal Workers Act would clarify that lapses in appropriations qualify federal workers to take a hardship withdrawal from the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program and eliminate the associated 10% penalty in those instances.
Shutdown poised to drag into next week as layoff threat looms
Senate once again fails to approve spending bill and the two sides remain far divided.
Does agency messaging blaming Democrats for government shutdown violate the Hatch Act?
Legal experts agree recent messages by the Trump administration about the shutdown at least pose ethical concerns about government impartiality.
Tech under OneGov remains ‘fully available’ during shutdown — but agencies may lack funds and personnel to access it
Some of the advanced software tools made available to federal agencies as part of the OneGov initiative are available for a limited time with impending expirations.
RIF threat sparks union lawsuit as shutdown continues
AFGE and AFSCME argued that an Office of Management and Budget memo instructing agencies to launch mass layoffs during the government shutdown violate the Antideficiency Act and most agencies’ own authorizing statutes.
Shutdown freezes earlier job-cut battles as Trump signals fresh layoffs
Employees involved in litigation are caught up in furloughs, though group says Trump is seeking to delay accountability.
