As the government steps into the second week of its shutdown over the Democrats and Republicans not agreeing on a vital funding bill, workers everywhere continue to be affected by this deadlock. Several federal workers have been furloughed from their jobs during this temporary lapse in government functions, while others continue to work without pay.
United States President Donald Trump, through his many speeches, has made it clear that he would not be the one to surrender first. He insists and at times seeks to force Democrats to pass the bill in the Republicans’ favour. To ensure that happens, Trump has made threats, including laying off federal workers who do not fall under the ambit of “essential” services. More recently, he has threatened not to pay “back pay” to some of these workers after they return from the shutdown. His claims strongly oppose a law that was signed by him in 2019, which made it compulsory for furloughed federal workers to be compensated for the time they worked without pay during situations like the one the current government is experiencing.
Trump’s insensitive comments regarding federal workers who had dedicated a significant portion of their lives to their work did not go unnoticed, especially by those who oppose him. Among them is the Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, a vocal critic of Trump and his administration. During a press conference this week, Moore expressed dissatisfaction over Trump’s comments, calling them “reckless”, “irresponsible”, and “illegal”. He said:
“We have also heard from the President of the United States yesterday when he threatened to withhold back pay for our federal workers. And, I want to be clear that those comments are reckless, those comments are irresponsible, and importantly, those comments are illegal. To our federal workers, I’m sorry.”
He continued his speech by apologising to the workers and their families while acknowledging their contributions towards the state. He also mentioned trying his best to ensure the workers get paid.
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