On Tuesday, the White House alerted that federal employees unable to work due to the Democratic-led shutdown may not be assured of receiving repayment.
If the White House proceeds with a legal assessment, it prompts Senate Democrats to resolve the ongoing shutdown by potentially denying refunds to around 750,000 federal workers affected.
A memo from the Office of Management and Budget indicated that legislation signed by Trump during his early term was deemed a “deficiency,” suggesting federal workers might not be automatically reimbursed post-shutdown.
“Does this law automatically cover all these furloughed employees? Conventional wisdom says: Yes. We believe: No, it doesn’t,” a senior official from the White House remarked.
President Trump and Congressional Republicans plan to utilize the Suspension Continuation Resolution (CR) to fund the government while withholding enhancements to Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at year-end.
“If Democrats had supported a straightforward CR, this situation wouldn’t have occurred,” a senior administrator expressed.
The Trump administration interprets GEFTA as stipulating that the government will compensate workers “as obligations arise” during the 2019 shutdown.
“If that’s the case with GEFTA, did it automatically apply during any future shutdown? Why did Congress make that decision?” a White House official questioned.
However, there are differing opinions regarding the White House’s reading of the law.
“The law is quite clear on this matter. The stipulation is to adhere to the law,” stated Sam Berger, a senior fellow at the Center on Policy and Budget Priorities.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) informed Breitbart News that taxpayers are incurring a cost of $400 million daily for non-essential federal workers who are not active due to the Democratic shutdown.
“Make no mistake – Schumer’s shutdown is impacting Americans financially. Each day this continues, taxpayers face a $400 million bill for 750,000 non-essential bureaucrats who aren’t working,” asserted the Hokie Conservatives.
