Trump says some furloughed workers might not get back pay

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that some furloughed federal employees may not receive back pay once the government reopens, following earlier threats to lay off federal workers during shutdown.

"I would say it depends on who we're talking about. I can tell you this, the Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on who you're talking about," Trump said at the White House Oval Office.

"But for the most part, we're going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of, and we will take care of them in a different way," he said.

The US president did not provide further details on which furloughed federal employees might not receive back pay.

Earlier in the day, Axios reported that furloughed federal workers are not guaranteed compensation for their forced time off during the government shutdown, citing a draft White House memo.

As Trump continued to blame Democrats for the shutdown stalemate, Democratic leaders blamed Republicans.

"The Republicans shut down the government instead of fixing health care for Americans across this country," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X.

After the previous government shutdown, which lasted 35 days and ended in January 2019, Trump signed a law guaranteeing back pay for federal employees affected by future shutdowns.

Before the law was passed, the US Congress routinely approved back pay for federal workers once a funding bill was approved to reopen the government.

Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed during this shutdown, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office last week.

Federal workers deemed essential -- such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers -- will continue working without pay until the government reopens.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that the government shutdown is adding pressure on already overworked air traffic controllers.