John,
As the government shutdown reaches its 36th day, Trump now can claim the title of overseeing the two longest government shutdowns in history.
On top of playing politics with millions of Americans’ ability to afford food, Trump is using the shutdown to further punish one of his favorite targets: federal workers.
He already tried to go against established law and claim that federal workers furloughed during the shutdown aren’t entitled to back pay. After walking that back, he’s now saying some “don’t deserve” back pay — and only those who are working during the shutdown will be paid.
Yes: Trump is telling the federal employees who inspect our food, track disease, and guard public health that some “don’t deserve” back pay after the shutdown has ended. He’s using the livelihoods of working Americans as leverage in his political calculations.
Send a message to Congress: Pass emergency legislation to guarantee full back pay for every furloughed worker.
The effects of the Republican shutdown are devastating. Without workers to keep them running, key programs have shuttered. The CDC’s disease-tracking reports have gone dark. The FDA’s Animal and Human Food safety programs have stopped preventive inspections. The USDA’s nutrition support and farm assistance programs are frozen. Every one of these failures means real hunger, real risk, and real suffering for millions of Americans.
And while federal workers are lining up at food banks, Trump is building a huge golden ballroom, tearing down the historic White House East Wing — to build an opulent monument to excess fit for Marie Antoinette. The contrast could not be more stark: the powerful dining in luxury while working families seek what little they can access at overburdened food banks.
This Republican shutdown isn’t about responsible governance. It’s about cruelty and control — and a President who treats hunger as a weapon against his own people.
Tell Congress to guarantee full back pay for every furloughed worker.
Thank you for standing with the federal workers who keep our country running.
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
