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www.axios.com

Furloughed federal workers aren’t guaranteed compensation for their forced time off during the government shutdown, according to a draft White House memo described to Axios by three sources.

Why it matters: If the White House acts on that legal analysis, it would dramatically escalate President Trump’s pressure on Senate Democrats to end the week-old shutdown by denying back pay to as many as 750,000 federal workers after the shutdown.

  • MrVilliam@sh.itjust.works
    80·
    23 days ago

    Only the dumbest dictator imaginable would flex military strength while not paying them, keep them doing their jobs without pay, and then say that they will never get paid for the work they’re currently doing. A dictator should be scared shitless about the possibility of their own military warming up to the idea of regime change, especially this specific military which has a whole lot of experience carrying out regime changes.

    • Carmakazi@lemmy.world
      45·
      23 days ago

      The regime got this far because The Base is dumber than dogshit and incredibly willing to act against its own interest over and over again if it means they get to punch down on those they hate. They’re not about to get cold feet or reflect on the possibility of failure now. And to be honest, I don’t think they have a lot of reason to worry.

      • Shirasho@lemmings.world
        16·
        23 days ago

        It’s not even that they genuinely hate these people. The media has told them who to hate and they blindly believe it.

        For a party that constantly called the Democrats sheep in the mid 2010s they sure are wearing a lot of fleece.

    • xyzzy@lemmy.today
      251·
      23 days ago

      I imagine this is a situation where they would pay the military and ICE but try to refuse back pay for civil servants in “Democrat agencies.”

      • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
        9·
        23 days ago

        Probably what they’re thinking. Of course, this just means Dems need to demand that any funding bill that opens the government guarantees back pay for everyone. If anything, this threat gives them less of an incentive to move quickly on reopening (why help Trump avoid hurting his chosen government workers when he’s still threatening to hurt all the rest of them? Let them all get hurt together if this is the way they’re going to be).

        • frustrated@piefed.socialEnglish
          71·
          23 days ago

          He is only dumb if he suffers any consequences. So far, he has managed to fail upwards his entire life and avoid ever experiencing any meaningful repercussions.

            • frustrated@piefed.socialEnglish
              41·
              23 days ago

              He certainly is. I just wonder if the criticism is not especially meaningful in this context. It often feels like we are all waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never does.

    • frustrated@piefed.socialEnglish
      83·
      23 days ago

      Our military is several generations deeps of mercenaries who have only been deployed against poorly equipped civilian populations on behalf of the interests of capital (and they still lost almost every single time). There is no chance any of these people stand up to Trump let alone anything more serious.

    • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.world
      2·
      23 days ago

      Never say never but I can’t see the US military ever getting involved. This is to scare workers into quitting, he wants to gut the government.

    • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
      2·
      23 days ago

      He is banking on the extremely strong taboo in the US military against interfering in politics which has been established over generations. They will of course burn through that protection at a far faster rate than it was built, but they will likely still get away with this.