Hoyer Statement on Federal Employee Pay In the Event of a Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) released the following statement expressing his support for ensuring that, in the event that the government shuts down, all federal employees receive retroactive pay when the shutdown ends:

"Democrats are working hard to prevent a government shutdown, by meeting Republicans more than halfway on spending cuts, and by proposing legislation—without divisive social policies —to keep the government running while negotiations continue. We understand that a shutdown is not an ideological game: it has very real consequences for families and communities across our country, including the federal employees of Maryland's Fifth District. There are more than 62,000 federal employees in the Fifth District who could be impacted by a government shutdown, and up to 2 million federal employees nationwide could be furloughed if a compromise is not reached.  In addition, an untold number of businesses and families in the 5th district will be adversely affected by a shutdown.

"In the event that the government does shut down and federal employees find themselves out of work without pay, it will be a top priority of mine to work with my Republican and Democratic colleagues to ensure that all federal employees receive retroactive pay when the shutdown ends. Federal employees are already facing a three-year pay freeze, and if these workers—through no fault of their own—are required to stay home without pay, the consequences for their families and for our economic recovery could be severe.

"When Republicans shut down the government in 1995, Congress set an important precedent that federal employees did not create the shutdown and should not be penalized for it. All federal employees were retroactively paid. If Republicans shut down the government in 2011, we should do the same and meet our obligations to public servants."