President Trump on Tuesday said some furloughed federal workers “don’t deserve” back pay after a draft White House memo raised the possibility that some employees might not be paid after the government shutdown.
“I would say it depends on who we’re talking about,” Trump said to reporters alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “I could tell you this, the Democrats have put a lot of people at great risk and jeopardy. But it really depends on who you’re talking about.
“For the most part, we’re going to take care of our people,” he added “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 government shutdown on Tuesday hit Day 7 as the Senate’s stalemate over dueling funding bills continues. The memo argues the law does not automatically guarantee that all furloughed employees are guaranteed back pay.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing tough questions about the Justice Department at a Senate oversight hearing.
Democrats have grilled her over National Guard deployments, the Jeffrey Epstein case and immigration enforcement efforts, among other topics. She declined to offer details on several of these issues.
Earlier Tuesday, top voices in health care, government and the private sector gathered with The Hill to look at how health policy has shifted in 2025 for its Health Next Summit, sharing the latest on the shutdown and divides over Affordable Care Act subsidies
Follow along for the latest updates below.
