Hundreds of thousands of federal employees who were furloughed or working without pay during the government shutdown that began Oct. 1 are set to return to work, with back pay expected to reach their bank accounts within days.
After a record-breaking standoff, the White House and Congress reached an agreement Wednesday. The Senate passed a legislative package Monday, which included funding bills for next year and a continuing resolution (CR) to reopen the government through Jan. 30. The House approved the bill Wednesday evening, and President Trump signed it into law that night.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), representing over 820,000 federal and D.C. government workers, expressed optimism about timely payment.
“Both the law that established the right of back pay and the new CR instruct agencies to provide it as soon as practicable, rather than wait until the next scheduled pay day,” said AFGE Policy Director Jacqueline Simon. She added that in previous shutdowns, back pay was typically issued within a few days.
A senior administration official told NewsNation that federal workers could start receiving paychecks as early as Saturday, with all payments expected by Wednesday. A memo obtained by Semafor outlined the projected schedule, noting that each agency processes payments independently.
Back pay for more than 12,000 employees at the General Services Administration (GSA) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is expected Saturday. These paychecks will include only base pay, with additional corrections processed in the next pay cycle.
Employees at the Departments of Energy, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services, along with Army and non-Army civilian employees at the Defense Department, are expected to receive paychecks starting Sunday. These payments will include standard pay as well as overtime and hazard pay.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said air traffic controllers, who missed their second paycheck Tuesday, should receive 70 percent of their back pay within a day or two and the remainder within a week. The AFGE does not represent air traffic controllers.
Caleb Quakenbush, associate director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, noted that federal employees should expect no delays in back pay once the government reopens, citing 2019 legislation mandating payment “at the earliest possible date, regardless of the actual pay date.”
Congress has historically ensured retroactive pay for furloughed or unpaid federal employees after shutdowns. Following concerns last month that some employees might not be paid, the recent bill included language to eliminate any debate on the matter.
