US government shutdown: Will Donald Trump, furloughed federal workers get salaries? What we know so far
During a US government shutdown, federal employees from shutdown agencies are either furloughed (prohibited from work and unpaid) or required to work without pay if their roles are deemed essential to public safety.
Will federal workers, furloughed or not, receive salaries as the US government shuts down amid a standoff between Republicans and Democrats over the contentious funding bill? Here's what we know:
During a US government shutdown, federal employees from shutdown agencies are either furloughed (prohibited from work and unpaid) or required to work without pay if their roles are deemed essential to public safety.
However, Congress has traditionally approved “retroactive payment for these employees” once the government reopens, US Representative Ami Bera explained. This means that those working during the government shutdown will receive payments after the government reopens — even for the time period they worked during the shutdown.
Bera informs that after the 2019 government shutdown, Congress passed the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, which provides immediate retroactive back pay to federal employees after a shutdown ends.
However, there's a segment of people who receive salaries even during government shutdowns.
Who will get paid and who won't?
While hundreds of thousands of federal workers at key government departments have already been furloughed or are working without pay, the people who could prevent or end a shutdown — members of Congress — will still receive a paycheck.
That’s because their pay is protected under Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution, NBC News reported. The provision in the Constitution states: “The Senators and Representatives shall receive Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.”
NBC News quoted Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, as saying that the Constitution says “members will be paid”.
Meanwhile, thousands of essential workers who still have to show up for work during the government shutdown will get pay slips depending on when their payday falls and how long the shutdown lasts. Many workers may not receive their pay on time.
According to an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), cited by the BBC, around 750,000 federal workers will be taking unpaid leave each day. The total daily cost of their compensation will be roughly $400m (£297m), the CBO says.
President gets paid
US Presidents also get paid during a funding lapse. However, President Donald Trump reportedly donated his government salary during his first term and said he’s doing the same this time as well.
What does US government shutdown mean?
A deep impasse between Republican President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats has triggered the 15th US government shutdown since 1981.
A government shutdown occurs when Congress is unable to pass the funding bills—known as appropriations—that keep federal agencies running into the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1.
If no agreement is reached by 11:59 PM on September 30, 2025, a partial shutdown will begin at 12:01 AM ET on October 1.
What triggered US government shutdown?
Republicans supported a short-term measure to fund the government generally at current levels through November 21, but Democrats blocked it, insisting the measure address their concerns on health care.
They want to reverse the Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump's mega-bill passed this summer and extend tax credits that make health insurance premiums more affordable for millions of people who purchase through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act.