(Washington, DC) – Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger is sponsoring bipartisan legislation to ensure federal employees who are furloughed during the government shutdown will be paid retroactively once it reopens. The “Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act” is cosponsored by Maryland’s entire Democratic delegation.

 

About 800,000 federal workers across the country will not receive a paycheck as a result of the shutdown currently in its second day. The furloughs affect the 140,000 federal workers in Maryland at agencies and facilities ranging from Social Security to Fort McHenry. Many other federal workers are currently on the job without knowing when and if they will get paid.

 

“Our federal workers have been subjected to a relentless assault over the past several years, having already endured a 3-year pay freeze, salary cuts and furloughs from sequestration,” Congressman Ruppersberger said. “These hard-working men and women should not be punished because a handful of extreme politicians refuse to compromise.  This bipartisan proposal will shield many Maryland families from Congressional inaction and reaffirms our commitment to the federal workforce.”

 

Furloughed federal employees received retroactive compensation during previous government shutdowns.