Republican Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina strongly criticized the White House Budget Office for releasing a draft memo suggesting that furloughed federal employees might not receive back pay when the government reopens.
“I think this sends a really bad message to the workers, essentially held hostage by the Democrats who are shutting down the government,” he stated. “It’s not a good strategy,” he added during a press conference.
Tillis expressed concern for federal employees who have been furloughed since Wednesday, emphasizing that many may have to borrow money just to meet their basic expenses.
“I think there’s definitely some frustration from the White House, but if you’re with a credit union, there are people who may need to borrow for living expenses. Not everyone has the option to dip into their retirement funds,” he remarked.
He continued, “There’s really no reason to escalate this. We should focus on the core issue: the Democrats lack a rational justification for shutting down the government and catering to the far-left of their party.”
According to Tillis, “We’re not asking them to allocate anything beyond the funding levels they’ve previously approved.”
A draft memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) interprets the Public Employees Fair Treatment Act of 2019 in a way that implies only essential federal employees are automatically entitled to back pay.
This document references a law that states furloughed employees will receive one-time benefits only contingent on the passing of legislation to end the shutdown.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York labeled the memo as an “intimidation tactic.”
“This isn’t a new issue and has nothing to do with government funding. These unnecessary layoffs will likely be challenged in court or the government will rehire these workers, just as we’ve seen happen before,” he stated.
