Because federal employees generally are paid on a two-week cycle, the impact of unpaid time generally hasn’t actually appeared yet in paychecks, but it will soon. Exactly when will depend on when an employee’s next pay distribution happens and what period that payment covers—both vary according to the payroll provider. Meanwhile the Senate has yet to take up a House-passed bill (HR-3223) to retroactively pay employees who were furloughed once the shutdown ends. The House approved the bill on a 407-0 vote and there apparently is no controversy in the Senate over actually granting the pay; the hangup results from the same type of maneuvering that caused the shutdown in the first place. President Obama has said he will sign the bill, which would follow the practice of past shutdowns of paying employees who were furloughed. Employees who are continuing to work, although also in unpaid status, are guaranteed retroactive pay, under OMB and OPM guidance. Passage of the bill to pay furloughed employees would mean that they would not be eligible for unemployment benefits for the furlough period. Some of them at least have applied for those benefits. While they might receive benefits initially, they would have to return that money on receiving back pay. That would make going through the unemployment application process something of a fruitless endeavor—assuming that they do get back pay, that is. A separate bill to keep salaries uninterrupted for employees still on the job is pending before the House but would have to pass quickly to have the intended impact. And the White House has threatened to veto it because it would be tied to provisions to restore funding to only certain functions; Democrats are insisting on a comprehensive government funding bill.
