Pay

In case of shutdown, lawmakers propose retroactive pay for furloughed feds

If Congress fails to pass an omnibus spending bill before the Dec. 16 deadline and triggers a government shutdown, three Virginia lawmakers want to ensure furlo...

Jory Heckman@jheckmanWFED

December 15, 2015 2:36 pm

2 min read

If Congress fails to pass an omnibus spending bill before 12:01 a.m. Dec. 16, and triggers a government shutdown, three lawmakers want to ensure furloughed federal employees get back pay.

Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.) have proposed re-introducing a bill that would guarantee all “essential” and “non-essential” federal workers receive back pay during a shutdown on the federal government.

“For the third time this year, congressional dysfunction threatens the livelihood of federal workers carrying out our country’s vital missions,” Beyer said in a statement announcing the legislation on Dec. 10. “It’s inexcusable to play politics with their pay and their family’s well-being. I hope my House colleagues recognize the hardship these funding battles cause hard-working American families.”

Congress passed a five-day continuing resolution on Dec. 11, just hours before the shutdown deadline. The CR expires Wednesday at midnight.

Beyer first introduced the Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act at the end of September, just before the beginning of fiscal 2016. Wittman and Comstock were original co-sponsors of the bill.

Any retroactive pay for furloughed federal employees must be approved by Congress. After the 2013 government shutdown, Congress passed a bill that gave back pay to workers during the 16 days of lapsed funding. Even then, employees had to wait at least a week to receive compensation.

“There has to be consistency and certainty in government funding for our federal employees to effectively carry out the important work that they do every day to make the U.S. a better, safer place,” Wittman said. “This culture of stagnation that plagues the budget process in Washington and makes the well-being of federal employees contingent on unrelated policy measures has to end. I’ve said before, and I will say again that this recurring cycle of governing by crisis has to give way to long-term vision and resolve.”

Beyer and Wittman represent a total of 120,000 federal employees in their districts.

“Our dedicated military, federal employees and contractors are on the front lines every single day to keep us safe,” Comstock said. “We must all come together to keep the government open so that they do not have to worry where they will find their next paycheck.”