Trump Administration Threatens Federal Worker Backpay, Drawing legal and Worker Pushback
DENVER — U.S. President Donald Trump is drawing sharp criticism after threatening to withhold backpay from furloughed federal workers—despite a law passed under his own administration that ensures such compensation.
“For the most part we’re going to take care of our people,” Trump said during an event at the White House. “There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.
The comment has sparked outrage among labor representatives, who warn that any attempt to withhold wages already promised by law could be both illegal and harmful to federal employees.
“It’s another cruel and unjustified attack on the American workforce and federal employees,” said Miles Batson, who works for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and represents hundreds of workers in Colorado through the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3607.
Batson said the threat of lost income is adding stress to workers already feeling immense pressure.
“To face the specter of potentially going longer than the last shutdown—35-plus days without a paycheck—and now on top of that, being threatened that, ‘Oh, we might not pay you anyway,’” he said.
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