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Republicans are intensifying pressure on Democrats to end the government shutdown as critical deadlines approach. President Trump announced Tuesday that substantial layoffs of nonessential federal workers would be announced within four to five days, warning that many of those jobs would never return and suggesting the cuts could help balance the budget.
The most immediate concern centers on military pay. Active-duty service members, who receive bimonthly paychecks, face missing their October 15 payment unless Congress acts by October 13 to reopen the government. House Speaker Mike Johnson emphasized the urgency, noting that Monday is Columbus Day, a federal holiday when government offices are typically closed. Trump previously assured Navy personnel at a Norfolk, Virginia base that military members would receive “every last penny” despite the shutdown.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned that civilian government employees, paid every two weeks, would see significantly reduced paychecks this week covering only the few days before the October 1 shutdown began.
Thune cited White House Council of Economic Advisers estimates projecting the shutdown could cost the U.S. economy $15 billion in GDP weekly.
A controversial draft Office of Management and Budget memo has raised questions about whether approximately 750,000 furloughed federal workers will receive back pay. The memo argues the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, which Trump signed in 2019 to guarantee furloughed workers’ back pay, has been misinterpreted. The law was enacted to provide certainty after previous shutdowns required separate Congressional votes to approve back pay.
Trump said back pay decisions would depend on the individual, stating “there are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of.” The American Federation of Government Employees, representing 820,000 federal workers, condemned withholding back pay as an “obvious misinterpretation of the law,” noting it contradicts the administration’s own pre-shutdown guidance promising retroactive pay.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the OMB memo part of Trump’s pattern of “torturing” federal employees, while Senator Patty Murray labeled it a “baseless attempt” at intimidation. Democrats demand bipartisan negotiations before reopening the government, though they remain concerned about shutdown impacts.
Meanwhile, the administration announced a “creative solution” to maintain WIC program funding by transferring Section 232 tariff revenue. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the administration wouldn’t allow impoverished mothers and babies to go hungry due to “Democrats’ political games.”
Senator Andy Kim criticized House Republicans for keeping their chamber in recess while only the president and Congress members continue receiving pay during the shutdown.
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