Lawmakers Weigh Plan to Pay Troops, Active Federal Workers as Shutdown Wears On

The Senate could hold a vote on the bill, dubbed the ‘Shutdown Fairness Act,’ as the closure stretches into its fourth week.

The U.S. Capitol building during the government shutdown in Washington on Oct. 20, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—As the federal government shutdown reaches its fourth week, lawmakers are preparing a vote on a bill to pay troops and some other federal employees who have continued to work through the shutdown.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) introduced the bill, dubbed the Shutdown Fairness Act, last week amid the ongoing government funding standoff. Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and other lawmakers have joined him in introducing it.

While Johnson said his measure offers “a permanent fix that will ensure excepted workers and our troops are paid during a shutdown,” many Democrats have voiced objections to the legislation, raising the prospect of introducing an alternative.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) moved it forward on Oct. 21, teeing up a likely vote on Oct. 23.

The current lapse in federal funding, which began on Oct. 1, has now stretched into the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history.

Prolonging the shutdown is an impasse over whether to include health care provisions in a measure to temporarily fund and reopen the government. Congressional Republicans have preferred to pass what they term a “clean” continuing resolution, with no policy additions, to fund the government. Meanwhile, Democrats have sought to reinstate health care provisions, including enhanced Affordable Care Act tax subsidies, that are set to expire on Dec. 31 following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act this summer.

Thus far, the Senate has voted 11 times on a measure to reopen the government, without success and with few signs of progress toward a breakthrough. President Donald Trump on Oct. 21 said he would only agree to meet with Democratic congressional leaders after they agree on a resolution to reopen the government.

The Republican-led effort to fund troops and active federal workers comes after Trump ordered the Pentagon to use available funds to continue paying U.S. military personnel.

Johnson’s legislation would be retroactive, applying to workers as though it had been put in place on Sept. 30, the eve of the shutdown.

Introducing a House version of the Shutdown Fairness Act on Oct. 21, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) said the bill prevents federal workers from being “held hostage” by the partisan disagreement over the shutdown.

“This bill stands up for those who show up—paying federal workers what we owe them, shutdown or not,” Mackenzie said.

The legislation authorizes the allocation of Treasury Department funds that are not already appropriated to keep paying troops and “excepted” federal workers.

“Excepted” federal workers are those deemed essential, who are directed to continue working during a lapse in government funding. Under the current laws, these federal workers can expect to continue to work without pay, receiving back pay only after the shutdown ends.

Other federal workers, who are deemed “nonessential,” are furloughed and do not continue to work during lapses in government funding. Congress passed legislation in 2019 guaranteeing back pay for furloughed government employees after a shutdown ends.

The Shutdown Fairness Act would benefit federal workers who remain active through shutdowns, but would not cover those who are furloughed during such periods. Some congressional Democrats have raised objections to this aspect of the bill.

Earlier in the shutdown, the White House circulated a memorandum suggesting that furloughed federal workers may not be entitled to back pay.

The White House has also sought to begin laying off federal workers during the shutdown, although it has faced legal challenges over these efforts.

At an Oct. 20 news conference, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the Republican-led legislation “appears to be more like a political ploy to pick and choose, giving Donald Trump discretion [over] which employees should be compensated.”

Speaking with reporters on Oct. 20, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said, “I worry that it basically is a bill that just lets the president decide who he wants to pay.”

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said he has concerns about multiple facets of Johnson’s bill.

“It’s not just about paying folks, which I support,“ he said. ”There’s a whole lot more in that bill, which is really problematic.”

When asked whether he had seen any alternative proposals, Peters told The Epoch Times to “stay tuned.”