A draft memo from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget argues that furloughed federal workers should not be paid for the time they didn’t work during the government shutdown, challenging the interpretation of a law President Trump himself signed in 2019. Here’s what you need to know about the controversial memo and its potential impact on hundreds of thousands of federal workers:

The OMB memo argument

White House challenges interpretation of back pay law:

The 2019 law Trump signed

Government Employee Fair Treatment Act meant to guarantee back pay:

Workers affected by shutdown

Roughly 750,000 federal employees furloughed:

Trump’s promises to military

President assures service members of full pay:

Layoff threats

Administration warns of potential mass layoffs:

Potential legal challenges

Any move to question back pay likely to face opposition:

Read more:

• Trump team argues workers furloughed in shutdown aren’t entitled to back pay

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The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.