Workers at the IRS sent home during the ongoing government shutdown should await further clarity from the Office of Management and Budget on whether they will get back pay after the standoff ends, the agency said Thursday.
“An earlier memo circulated on furlough guidance incorrectly stated the nature of the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 as it relates to compensation for non-pay and non-duty status,” the IRS said in an update to its website. “The Office of Management and Budget will provide further guidance on this issue, and you will be updated accordingly.”
President Donald Trump signed the law in question after the 35-day shutdown that started in December 2018 (
But OMB, led by Russell Vought, has drafted a memo asserting that workers aren’t guaranteed compensation during the shutdown as the Trump administration pressures Senate Democrats to vote to clear the House-approved government funding bill (
Democrats and Senate Republicans have resisted that interpretation and could pursue legislative language that guarantees furloughed workers are made whole.
The IRS on Wednesday furloughed nearly half of its workforce under a contingency plan that lasts at least for a week.
Repaying workers across the federal government sidelined during the shutdown costs about $400 million a day, the Congressional Budget Office estimated last month.
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