White House Memo: Starve Workers for Political Leverage
According to Axios, a draft White House memo claims furloughed federal workers aren't guaranteed backpay, despite the 2019 'Government Employee Fair Treatment Act' (GEFTA). This ingenious legal interpretation, if adopted, redefines a 'government shutdown' as 'an optional, unpaid vacation for the working class.' The 2019 shutdown, remember, lasted a historic 35 days, with GEFTA supposedly
guaranteeing workers wouldn't be collateral damage again. But when has 'trust us' ever worked out for the average American? This 'legal analysis' appears less about strict interpretation and more about political strong-arming, dangling rent and groceries over the heads of 750,000 federal employees. It's a strategy that turns the backbone of the government into mere pawns in political squabbles,
conveniently overlooking the irony that these same workers are deemed 'essential' until their pay is on the line. One might wonder if similar financial incentives are ever withheld from the legislators causing the shutdowns.