Thune: Trump's threats to withhold back pay for government workers is a 'non-issue'
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told ABC News on Wednesday that the thousands of furloughed federal workers will get back pay when the government shutdown ends.
However, he would not say whether he has discussed this with President Donald Trump, who has threatened to deny the retroactive pay to some workers despite the federal law.
Thune told ABC News' Linsey Davis that he believes the workers who have been affected by the shutdown will get their back pay.
"I believe they will, I think that's the assumption I operate under, and I think that's what the law stipulates," Thune said.
The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 mandates that federal workers be paid after federal funding is restored.
Thune's comments came a day after Trump suggested that some workers may not receive any of their retroactive salaries when the shutdown ends.
"I would say it depends on who we're talking about. 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'll take care of them in a different way," Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Thune did not respond when asked by Davis if he spoke to Trump about the issue or agreed with his proposal.
"Well, I think that issue is fairly clear. I think the law, and this is a law that we passed back in 2018 or 2019, is very clear about that. So, again, it becomes a non-issue once the government opens up," Thune said.
The Senate majority leader, however, repeated the president's warning that layoffs and agency cuts could take place if the shutdown continues.
"I think the question of what happens if the shutdown continues over a long period of time is the administration will have to make decisions about different agencies and departments of government, you know -- what they're going to prioritize," Thune said.
"The way to end that is to open up the government, then we don't have to worry about anybody not getting paid," he added.
Legal experts argue the Constitution and federal law allow only Congress to declare cuts to federal agencies or remove them entirely.
The White House has not provided more details on the legality of Trump's threats, nor has it responded to questions as to how firing people who are not getting paid would cut down on waste.
Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson have repeatedly claimed, without details, that the president has the power to make those cuts during the shutdown.
