Government shutdown enters day 8 as Trump weighs furloughed worker backpay
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As the funding cuts enter their eighth day and show no signs of ending soon, the Trump administration is exacerbating the consequences of a prolonged government shutdown.
Now, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released plans reviewed by Fox News Digital that do not guarantee that federal employees currently furloughed by the shutdown will receive back pay; This overturned legislation that Trump’s first administration enacted in 2019 following a 35-day shutdown.
The threat of furloughed workers not receiving back pay is increasing the risk that Congress will fail to pass the funding measure and putting greater pressure on Democrats as President Donald Trump continues to blame them for creating the crisis.
THE SHUTDOWN STARTED THE DEBATE FOR STRATEGISTS: WILL TRUMP AND THE GOP PAY THE POLITICAL PRICE IN 2026?
During a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on October 7, 2025, President Donald Trump told reporters that Democrats were the ones who initiated the shutdown. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Trump told reporters during a call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday that it was Democrats who initiated the shutdown, even though Democrats placed the blame on Republicans who control both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“This is like a kamikaze attack. They have nothing to lose,” Trump said of Democrats, referring to suicide missions by Japanese airmen during World War II.
Additionally, when asked whether furloughed workers would be compensated after the shutdown ends, Trump said it “depends on who we’re talking about.”
“Democrats have put a lot of people at great risk and danger, but it really depends on who you’re talking about,” Trump said. “But mostly we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people who really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’re going to take care of them in a different way.”
The possibility of furloughed workers not receiving back pay, first reported by Axios, is already looming as the Trump administration moves to shrink the federal government. For example, OMB in September instructed agencies to make plans for reductions in force in the event of a government shutdown.
The move marks a departure from the status quo, as furloughed employees typically return to work once the government shutdown ends.
HERE’S WHAT TRUMP WANTS TO DO TO RESHAPE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with the media after exiting Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on October 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Thoss Katopodis/Getty Images)
But Trump signaled that permanent layoffs would occur in the coming days and that “many of these jobs will never come back.”
“There are a lot of things that we will eliminate and eliminate permanently,” Trump said Tuesday.
The government entered a partial shutdown on October 1, amid a deadlock between Senate Republicans and Democrats over a short-term funding bill that would keep the government open through November 21. The parliament had previously adopted the temporary spending bill in September.
Three Senate Democrats joined Republicans to vote for the stopgap funding bill on Sept. 30, but it fell short of the 60 votes needed for the bill.
Trump and Republicans argue that Democrats want to provide health care to illegal immigrants because of a provision that would repeal part of Trump’s tax and domestic policy bill, known as the “big, beautiful bill” that reduces non-U.S. citizens’ eligibility for Medicaid.
However, Democrats have disputed those claims and said they want to permanently extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
WHILE THE ISSUE OF THE SPENDING AGREEMENT IS NOT DISCLOSED IN CONGRESS, THEN THE GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) update reporters after a face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump and Republican leaders about the looming government funding crisis at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-Year) accused Republicans of not taking the shutdown seriously and “refusing to address the health crisis they have created.”
“It’s time to do this,” Schumer told reporters Tuesday. he said.
The White House told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that every shutdown has consequences and Democrats “simply” voted to reopen the government.
“Whether it’s our brave military members working without pay, business owners missing out on previously promised contract work, or families dealing with flight delays, everyone is paying the price for Democrats’ radical demands,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. he said.
The Senate is preparing for another vote on the interim spending bill on Wednesday.
Fox News’ Alex Miller contributed to this report.
