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But the issue could pose significant logistical challenges, as the government has said it doesn't know how many contract workers were affected by the shutdown and that it has no current estimate for how much it would cost to compensate those it determines are owed back pay.

The price tag for work not performed would also likely be high. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the federal government spends some $500 billion a year for contracted products and services, although that money includes federal spending not affected by the shutdown.

President Trump has continued to leave open the possibility he could still reject the bipartisan agreement, telling reporters earlier Wednesday that he and his advisers will be \"looking for landmines\" in the final legislative text.

Republican Sen. John Thune told reporters on Capitol Hill that there's still hope that lawmakers can find a way to \"make sure federal contractors are taken care of.\"

“I just don’t think it’s ever been done before and figuring out duration of contracts - I mean, it sounds like it’s the timing issues. Hopefully, they’ll get it resolved,” Thune said.

Democratic lawmakers and aides said as of Wednesday afternoon that they hoped to be able to release the final legislative text of the agreement by later in the evening.

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