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New Law Ensures Federal Workers Will Receive Back Pay Stemming From Government Shutdown

For essential employees, it's been nearly a month of working without pay. The new bill promises compensation once the shutdown is over.
New Law Ensures Federal Workers Will Receive Back Pay Stemming From Government Shutdown
Twitter/ David White @BostonAttorney
By Tanya A. Christian ·
As the government shutdown nears a month, Donald Trump has signed a bill to ensure federal workers will receive back-pay for furloughed days. Guaranteed payment will be given to roughly 800,000 workers once the state is back up and running. The legislation comes with bi-partisan support and stands as a rare moment of unity between Trump and the Democratic-controlled House who are at odds over a border wall at the Mexico-United States border. Trump is pushing for $5 billion dollars in funding for the wall that was promised to be paid for by Mexico. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin from Maryland, who sponsored the bill, tweeted that Trump’s signing of the legislation “is an important step toward providing our civil servants with some stability and hope.” On Tuesday, Congresswoman Maxine Waters spoke at the Center for American Progress Action Fund and according to Forbes, accused Donald Trump of having a “temper tantrum over this senseless wall,” and blamed the shutdown for all but closing the doors on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which she described as Wall Street’s “sheriff on the block.” In spite of the damage the shutdown is doing to families across the nation, Trump maintains that he is not bending, and says the closures will last as long as it’s needed to get the money he is requesting. In the meanwhile, several workers who were previously staying home from work, have been asked to return with $0 pay and no payment in sight. Last week, government employees were sent home with paystubs that read $0.