WASHINGTON—Federal workers furloughed during the three-day shutdown of the government will get
paid for the work time they lost, under the short-term continuing-appropriations resolution signed by President Donald Trump Jan. 22. “Employees furloughed as a result of any lapse in appropriations which begins on or about January 20, 2018,” the measure said, “shall be compensated at their standard rate of compensation, for the period of such lapse in appropriations, as soon as practicable after such lapse in appropriations ends.” The shutdown “shouldn’t cause any disruption in getting their pay on time,” an American Federation of Government Employees spokesperson said, because most federal workers’ pay period closed Jan. 19, just before it began. Furloughed employees got back pay after previous shutdowns in 1995-96 and 2013. “It is deeply disappointing that Congress was unable to prevent a government shutdown, but the passage of our bill’s language should at least minimize the damage to rank-and-file civil servants,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who’d cosponsored a bill with Rob Wittman (R-Va.) to give furloughed workers back pay, told Federal News Radio. Read more
