U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine applauded House passage of a Senate bill he helped champion to guarantee back pay as soon as possible for federal workers who go without a paycheck during the government shutdown.
On Wednesday, Kaine lodged an objection to the Senate adjourning for the weekend while hundreds of thousands of federal employees – many of them Virginians – were set to miss paychecks starting today. His objection led to negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that resulted in unanimous passage in the Senate of the legislation to secure back pay, called the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act.
The House passed the Senate version of this bill today, sending it to the President’s desk for signature. The White House committed to the Majority Leader that President Trump will sign it.
“This is no substitute for a pay check, but I hope that this effort helps give some assurances to federal employees who just want to do their jobs and earn their pay,” Kaine said. “I’m thankful that both parties were able to hear the urgency we are feeling in Virginia and work with us on getting this legislation through. I hope the President will quickly sign this into law.”
Virginia is home to more than 170,000 federal employees and tens of thousands of federal contractors.
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Chris Graham
