Roughly 750,000 government workers are currently furloughed.
The federal government shutdown has now reached its 24th day, making it the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Surpassing the three-week mark means that federal employees will miss their first full paycheck on Friday, leaving some wondering how to make ends meet until federal agencies are funded once again.
The Senate on Thursday failed to advance legislation from Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan and Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin that would have provided pay to some federal workers during the shutdown.
The „Shutdown Fairness Act“ — put forward by Johnson — failed by a vote of 55-45, falling short of the necessary 60-vote threshold.
Johnson, meanwhile, objected to unanimous consent requests from both Van Hollen and Peters to advance their legislation.
Read on for a complete guide on all the assistance available for furloughed federal workers.What does it mean to be furloughed?
When a employee of a government agency is furloughed during a shutdown, it typically means the agency employing the worker has experienced a lapse in appropriations and no longer has the necessary funds to operate, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Due to the lack of appropriated funding, all non-essential activities are put on pause during this time and some employees are placed on „nonduty, nonpay“ leave status.
„Excepted“ employees, or those deemed „essential“, are expected to continue working during the shutdown without pay, according to OPM.
„After the lapse in appropriations has ended, employees who were required to perform excepted work during the lapse will receive retroactive pay for those work periods“, the agency states.
Approximately 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed during the current government shutdown.Will furloughed workers get backpay?
Generally, all employees furloughed during a government shutdown are paid at the conclusion of the shutdown. In a letter last month detailing the potential effects of a shutdown, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the backpay of all federal workers could total around $400 million for each day of the shutdown.
