White House says furloughed federal workers not entitled to back pay amid shutdown

A member of the national guard patrols as a worker pushes a wheelbarrow at the Lincoln Memorial, which remains open to visitors, on the first day of the US government shutdown in Washington DC, on 1 October 2025. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

The White House’s office of management and budget (OMB) is arguing that federal workers who are furloughed amid the ongoing government shutdown are not entitled to back pay.

In a draft memo first obtained by Axios, OMB argued that an amendment to the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA) of 2019 would not guarantee furloughed workers back pay and that said funds must be set aside by Congress.