DAY 8: WH Threatens no Back Pay for Furloughed Workers, and Dems in Array?
- Agora
- Oct 8
- 3 min read
AGORA SHUTDOWN UPDATE
October 8, 2025
With the partial government shutdown entering its second week, the consequences are starting to trickle in, from cancelled flights at understaffed airports to federal employees facing their last paycheck for what could be a while.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the White House and Congress are showing a few cracks in their united front against Democrats, who for the moment appear to be disproving Will Rogers. Even the Trump administration’s contention that furloughed federal employees aren’t entitled to back pay is not a surefire winner among the Hill GOP. But it’s far from certain which side might blink first.
Below is a roundup of the latest shutdown news.
CONGRESS
President Trump on Tuesday suggested he would select some furloughed federal workers to receive back pay while denying it for others, despite a legal requirement that all employees sent home during the funding lapse be made whole for their time missed during a shutdown.
With agency closures stretching to a week, Democrats anticipate that the GOP rank-and-file will become more willing to negotiate an extension of expiring ACA subsidies that would help end the shutdown.
Speaker Mike Johnson said the House could come back to pass emergency legislation to pay troops during the government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune wasn’t willing to go there.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene isn’t backing down from her very public break with fellow Republicans on health care that shook up Washington. In an extensive interview Tuesday, Greene accused her party of not having a plan on health care and made the case that it should be working to fix the problem now.
WHITE HOUSE
The Trump administration’s strategy to swiftly roll out mass layoffs of federal workers during the government shutdown has shifted in recent days, administration officials familiar with the talks told CNN, as an increasing number of Republican lawmakers and Trump administration officials acknowledge the potential political perils of the move.
The White House said Tuesday it will use money from tariff revenue to fund a supplemental nutrition program facing a funding shortage amid the ongoing government shutdown.
FEDERAL AGENCIES
A pilot preparing to take off Monday from Hollywood Burbank Airport in California took the routine step of radioing the air traffic control tower. But instead of the usual back-and-forth conversation of coordinating departure, the pilot received a different response: “The tower is closed due to staffing,” according to audio recorded by LiveATC.net.
Blue Star Families conducted a poll to better understand how the funding lapse is affecting the military community — and the results paint a troubling picture of financial strain and mounting stress that families are already under.
With the government shutdown about to extend into a second week, some governors are drawing on state funds to ensure popular national parks remain open for visitors..
What does a shutdown mean for government contractors, employees, grantees and the general public? Click here for more information.
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