Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has just thrown a curveball by teaming up with Senate Democrats to demand back pay for furloughed federal workers amid a grinding government shutdown.
As the shutdown drags into its third week, Murkowski became the lone Republican to sign a bipartisan letter pressing the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure back wages for the 2.2 million federal employees caught in the crossfire.
Earlier this month, the OMB fired off a memo suggesting that back pay for furloughed workers hinges on Congress passing new appropriations.
The stance sparked uncertainty and frustration among Democrats and now, apparently, Murkowski.
On Wednesday, Murkowski joined forces with Democrat Senators like Tim Kaine and Mark Warner in signing a letter to OMB Director Russell Vought.
They are urging clarity on back pay for federal workers idled by the shutdown.
The letter leans hard on the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, signed into law during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The law promises back wages to affected employees once the government reopens.
Democrats argue this uncertainty is piling “unnecessary stress” on workers.
Murkowski’s signature suggests she’s not buying the OMB’s foot-dragging either.
The bipartisan letter didn’t mince words, stating:
“The law is clear: all impacted government employees, regardless of excepted or furloughed status, are entitled to back pay after a government shutdown ends.”
The comment aligns with guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
It further noted, “OPM’s shutdown guidance from September 2025 still states that furloughed federal workers will be provided back pay once the government reopens.”
Well, that sounds ironclad, but when the OMB is playing word games with appropriations, one wonders if this is less about law and more about political posturing.
Still, workers deserve better than being pawns in this mess.
On Tuesday, the Senate couldn’t muster the 60 votes needed to pass a House-approved bill that would’ve ended the shutdown and extended funding, with no additional Democrats jumping on board to break the deadlock.
Meanwhile, Vought stirred the pot on “The Charlie Kirk Show” on Wednesday.
Vought casually mentioned that up to 10,000 federal employees could face termination during this ongoing fiasco.
That’s a gut punch to families already on edge, and while conservatives rightly push for leaner government, dangling pink slips over a shutdown feels like a low blow.
Government shutdowns are a blunt tool, often wielded to score points rather than solve problems.
However, the collateral damage to federal workers, many of whom aren’t pushing some progressive agenda, can’t be ignored.
Yet, Murkowski’s move might rankle some on the right who see any concession as weakness.
While the fight for fiscal responsibility remains crucial, using federal employees as bargaining chips risks alienating the very heartland voters who expect government to function, not flounder.
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