Mike Johnson: "Of course" we'd give back pay to federal workers

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Axios on Thursday that "of course" Congress will ensure furloughed federal workers get back pay once the government reopens.Why it matters: The White House has made clear that back pay isn't a guarantee, but Johnson signaled that furloughed workers shouldn't worry.Johnson wasn't familiar with the latest argument from the Trump administration that Congress would need to appropriate the funds.But Johnson emphasized that he would move to ensure workers get back pay if necessary."My understanding is federal law has always been pretty settled on that, and it's always custom that furloughed federal employees get back pay," he told Axios.State of play: An OMB draft memo, first reported by Axios' Marc Caputo, argued that furloughed federal workers aren't automatically entitled to pay for their time off during a shutdown.In emails from the 2019 government shutdown, also first reported by Axios, OMB noted that the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA) was quietly amended days after passage to clarify that back pay isn't automatic.According to OMB's interpretation of the law, Congress would need to explicitly authorize the funds, which Johnson indicated he's prepared to do. The intrigue: Johnson's comments put him at odds with the White House. President Trump told reporters Tuesday that some federal workers "don't deserve to be taken care of." At a press conference Wednesday, Johnson said that federal workers "should not be subjected to harm and financial dire straits because Chuck Schumer wants to play political games."

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