House Speaker Mike Johnson has broken ranks with President Donald Trump over whether federal employees affected by the looming government shutdown should receive back pay once operations resume.
According to a report from Axios on Thursday, Johnson said he supports compensating furloughed workers for the wages they lose during a shutdown, directly contradicting Trump’s recent remarks that some federal employees “don’t deserve” to be repaid.
“Of course,” Johnson told the outlet when asked if Congress would approve funding for back pay. “My understanding is federal law has always been pretty settled on that, and it’s always custom that furloughed federal employees get back pay.”
Historically, federal employees who are forced to stay home during government shutdowns have been granted back pay once a funding deal is reached. The practice has been viewed as a way to ensure that workers are not financially penalized for political disputes beyond their control.
Trump, however, has attempted to use the issue as a bargaining tool in his ongoing standoff with Democrats over a spending bill designed to keep the government open through the end of the year. The president has argued that withholding pay could pressure lawmakers to make deeper budget cuts and adopt his preferred policy priorities.
Last week, Axios also reported on a memo from the Office of Management and Budget suggesting that furloughed workers were not automatically “entitled” to back pay under federal law. That interpretation sparked immediate criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who said it risked turning millions of government employees into collateral damage in a partisan funding fight.
“This would not have happened if Democrats voted for the clean CR,” a senior administration official told Axios, referring to a continuing resolution that would have temporarily funded the government without major policy changes.
Johnson’s comments mark one of the first clear policy breaks between the new House Speaker and Trump since Johnson assumed leadership. The Louisiana Republican, a staunch conservative and Trump ally, has largely aligned himself with the president’s agenda but now appears intent on taking a more pragmatic stance on the shutdown issue.
As negotiations continue, Johnson’s position could play a crucial role in shaping how quickly Congress resolves the funding impasse. His support for back pay ensures that, at least within the House, there is bipartisan consensus that federal workers should not bear the financial burden of political gridlock in Washington.