Tag: federal workers forced to work without pay

The shutdown will harm the health and safety of Americans, even after it’s long over

With the U.S. federal government shutdown now the longest in history, it’s important to understand what a shutdown means for the health and safety of Americans.

The good news is that in the short run, the consequences are relatively few. But, as a researcher who studies natural disaster planning, I believe that Americans should be worried about the federal government’s long-term ability to ensure good public health and protect the public from disasters.

As the shutdown draws on, it increasingly weakens the government’s ability to protect Americans down the road, long after federal workers are allowed to go back to work. Many of these effects are largely invisible and may feel intangible because they don’t currently affect specific individuals.

View the complete January 15 article by Morten Wendelbo on The Conversation website here.

The Daily 202: ‘I can relate.’ Trump struggles to show he feels your pain as the shutdown drags on.

President Trump credited his administration’s policies for the price of gas during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s convention in New Orleans on Jan. 14. (The Washington Post)

THE BIG IDEA: President Trump was confused Monday morning about which city he was flying to. “Getting ready to address the Farm Convention today in Nashville, Tennessee,” he tweeted. “Love our farmers, love Tennessee – a great combination! See you in a little while.”

The president was flying to see farmers, all right, but they were in New Orleans. So Trump deleted the tweet and posted another. “I will try and match the great game played yesterday by the New Orleans Saints and their incredible QB, Drew Brees,” he wrote, playing to the local crowd. “People here are very excited by the team.”

This is the kind of mistake rock stars and politicians make from time to time when they’re on tour and the cities they’re visiting start to blend and blur together. It’s a dizzying experience few everyday Americans have. Presidents, though, aren’t regular people.

View the complete January 15 article by James Hohmann with Joanie Greve on The Washington Post website here.

Trump administration recalls tens of thousands of federal workers as it seeks to blunt shutdown’s impact

The Internal Revenue Service Building in Washington Credit: Andrew Harnik, AP Photo

The Trump administration on Tuesday said it is calling back tens of thousands of federal workers to fulfill key government tasks, including disbursing tax refunds, overseeing flight safety and inspecting the nation’s food and drug supply, as it seeks to blunt the impact of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

The nearly 50,000 furloughed federal employees are being sent back to work without pay – part of a group of about 800,000 federal workers who aren’t receiving paychecks during the shutdown, which affects dozens of federal agencies large and small. A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a bid by unions representing air traffic controllers and other federal workers to force the government to pay them if they are required to work.

The efforts by the Trump administration to keep the government operating during the partial shutdown came as the White House and Congress made no progress toward resolving their underlying dispute.

View the complete January 15 article by Jeff Stein on The Washington Post website here.