If they don't back pay us, what happens with our back health insurance premiums that would normally be deducted once pay starts again? What if they RIF as threatened and there is no next paycheck? Are they going to give us debt letters? I can go without a couple paychecks, but going into debt while they make me stay home and possibly fire me is going to keep me up at night.

There are so many inaccuracies and the language used is offensive and inflammatory. It is clear none of these authors have served a day in the military.

My husband is a 100% disabled veteran and I am APPALLED by the Post article. It is biased and profoundly anti-veteran.

DH is a brain tumor survivor and has memory and serious physical issues; symptoms (including severe headaches) first appeared after he returned from deployment, which included almost 24/7 exposure to burn pits. He has been too sick to work since 2008. We first applied for VA disability in the 2010s, after the VA started the burn pit registry, but he was denied because--even though multiple doctors wrote letters stating that his type of brain tumor was consistent with chemical exposure, and burn pit veterans get brain tumors at a far, far higher rate than the general population--we could not definitively prove it was service connected. We appealed and he was denied. It wasn't until the PACT Act, which includes a presumption of service connection for certain conditions, that he received benefits.

And now the Post publishes this hit job painting all disabled veterans as fraudsters getting paid for acne and ED, without noting the repeated visits with VA-retained doctors and extensive medical review claims are subject to? And without noting the many, many combat veterans with Stage 4 cancers and other serious health issues who languished with no coverage at all for almost two decades--the literal reason the PACT Act was passed? Where was the coverage of that, and what the hell agenda does the Post have here?

Disgraceful. I’m sorry for all the Feds facing this.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/us/politics/trump-back-pay-furloughed-workers-shutdown.html

In the draft memo, which was shared Tuesday by a White House official, the administration indicated that only the workers who are deemed essential may be automatically entitled to pay once the stalemate ends. That includes military service members, air traffic controllers and others who are currently required to report for duty during the closure.

For those who are furloughed, however, the White House memo laid out the case that Congress still must explicitly approve funding for any payments to occur.

Asked if these workers would indeed lose back pay, Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House that it “depends on who you’re talking about,” adding that there were “some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”

The government is not required to pay you. This is exactly how Trump is going to privatize the military and start using it against citizens and also eliminate the federal government. No one will keep working without pay...they will eventually quit and find jobs elsewhere. If you have a mortgage on your house, it will be assumed by the Treasury and the US will own your house as well...being able to kick you out of it or move in whoever they want in it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This obviously sucks. But what sucks even more is that some people who are excepted and working have been told to mark their timecards as furloughed. So if this comes to pass, they won't get paid even though they've been working as usual.

I’d refuse to do one ounce of work and I wouldn’t go in to office.

And that is what sets civil servants apart. Many of us believe in what we do. I for one believe our military service members have earned the health care I provide and to withhold that care because my paycheck may be delayed, or even absent, is disrespectful of their sacrifice.

Did you read that WP article about all of the disability fraud veterans are collecting?

Not a veteran, but this PALES in comparison the SSDI fraud. I’m shocked at what I see first hand with some relatives I have.

There are so many inaccuracies and the language used is offensive and inflammatory. It is clear none of these authors have served a day in the military. The VA doesn’t encourage veterans to file as many claims as possible to “milk the system.” Many claims are rated at zero but it’s important to get it all on record if it is service connected so you can get it treated later if needed. These would be listed as “claims” but it doesn’t mean service members get paid anything for it.

I believe you. Years ago WaPo did a story about supposed illegality at my agency. They didn't research the story themselves, they just repeated what they were told by an academic (who was mistaken, and had never contacted us for help understanding) and gave us a few hours to develop a comment. We explained to the reporter why they were incorrect, but they did not use that information or even mention the agency's rebuttal.

Anonymous wrote:If you aren’t working during a government shutdown, you shouldn’t get paid. Many federal employees are entitled brats because they have never been disciplined or told “no” by their parents. Fortunately, in his role as “father of the nation,” DJT will hold all federal employees accountable.

Then let’s stop your paycheck. They are not allowed to work or they would be. They cannot even get unemployment. Many Feds are not high earners and don’t have huge savings.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not paying the military is a great idea, let's do that.

Curious why you would say this?

-- DoD employee

Military members are people just like us civilian employees and do not require special treatment.

They are required to go to work and combat….if they all leave, are you willing to step up.

And, this now means some of us again go without important things like health care. I had appointments canceled I was waiting many months for. Now o go back to the end of the line. I’m waiting to see if I can get referred out but there are no staff at the referral office.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:work = pay

Why do you bother commenting if you have no clue what you are talking about? There is a law. It clearly doesn't say that.

When did this administration start caring about laws, the Constitution, the courts, or anything for that matter?

They are doing whatever they want and no one is stopping them. There is no checks and balances. Nothing!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gross. Russel Vought is the worst human being. Meanwhile when I flew into Dulles, TSA workers leaving their shifts were exchanging notes on which soup kitchen they could get a hot meal since they're not actually getting paid.

God bless America.

Save this post under the title, “things that never happened.”

I posted that, because it DID happen when I flew in on Friday. But yes, live in your world and lack of value system, where you refuse to acknowledge reality and this is all fine to not pay people yet require them to work full-time.

I think this Friday is the first paycheck where they will get a half check, right? So I'm not surprised if people are trying to figure out how to cut their grocery bill for this week so that they can pay other things coming due. Starting salary for a TSA agent is around 45K, so they don't have a ton of spare cash, and with a half check this Friday and rent just paid, they probably won't have money for groceries this weekend. I'm sure the people who work at food pantries and such will see an uptick in folks this weekend and over the next couple of weeks.

Isn’t it 7/10 so about 3/4 check?

It’s pay for 7/10 days, but we were told that 100% of deductions for the pay period would come out of this check (ie health insurance premiums), so it will effectively be less than 7/10 if typical take home.

Taxes and SS will be lower

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gross. Russel Vought is the worst human being. Meanwhile when I flew into Dulles, TSA workers leaving their shifts were exchanging notes on which soup kitchen they could get a hot meal since they're not actually getting paid.

God bless America.

Save this post under the title, “things that never happened.”

I posted that, because it DID happen when I flew in on Friday. But yes, live in your world and lack of value system, where you refuse to acknowledge reality and this is all fine to not pay people yet require them to work full-time.

I think this Friday is the first paycheck where they will get a half check, right? So I'm not surprised if people are trying to figure out how to cut their grocery bill for this week so that they can pay other things coming due. Starting salary for a TSA agent is around 45K, so they don't have a ton of spare cash, and with a half check this Friday and rent just paid, they probably won't have money for groceries this weekend. I'm sure the people who work at food pantries and such will see an uptick in folks this weekend and over the next couple of weeks.

Isn’t it 7/10 so about 3/4 check?

It’s pay for 7/10 days, but we were told that 100% of deductions for the pay period would come out of this check (ie health insurance premiums), so it will effectively be less than 7/10 if typical take home.

Anonymous wrote:If you aren’t working during a government shutdown, you shouldn’t get paid. Many federal employees are entitled brats because they have never been disciplined or told “no” by their parents. Fortunately, in his role as “father of the nation,” DJT will hold all federal employees accountable.

You sound like a fool. I hope you cross paths with the adult child of a federal worker, perhaps a doctor or nurse or social worker, when you’re sitting in a nursing home one day blabbing away about how wonderful Trump— by then, long dead, sigh— was for the nation. I hope they hear you loud and clear and show you as much kindness and mercy as you are showing your fellow citizens. They’ll know you’re one of the a$$holes who supported making their family’s life very hard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This obviously sucks. But what sucks even more is that some people who are excepted and working have been told to mark their timecards as furloughed. So if this comes to pass, they won't get paid even though they've been working as usual.

I’d refuse to do one ounce of work and I wouldn’t go in to office.

And that is what sets civil servants apart. Many of us believe in what we do. I for one believe our military service members have earned the health care I provide and to withhold that care because my paycheck may be delayed, or even absent, is disrespectful of their sacrifice.

Did you read that WP article about all of the disability fraud veterans are collecting?

Not a veteran, but this PALES in comparison the SSDI fraud. I’m shocked at what I see first hand with some relatives I have.

There are so many inaccuracies and the language used is offensive and inflammatory. It is clear none of these authors have served a day in the military. The VA doesn’t encourage veterans to file as many claims as possible to “milk the system.” Many claims are rated at zero but it’s important to get it all on record if it is service connected so you can get it treated later if needed. These would be listed as “claims” but it doesn’t mean service members get paid anything for it. There is also a law of diminishing returns with claims (i.e. 10 ailments rated at 10% does not add up to a 100% rating) so looking at them in isolation is misleading, and that’s assuming good intent. I would also say sleep apnea is, in fact, a service related injury, particularly at the higher severity levels. If the authors did any kind of research into it, they would know that sleep apnea rates among service members deployed to the Middle East are far greater than the general US population. The rating for that has also changed downward recently, but even before that, very few loss of limb ratings were lower for any kind of significant loss of functionality (the author cites only one). Every parent who has had an infant knows the torture it is to go day in and day out with few hours of really solid sleep, which is what sleep apnea is like but instead of your child eventually sleeping, it’s like that for the rest of your life. Not to mention the risk of heart attacks and not breathing. I could go on but why? It’s hard to believe at least one is a Pulitzer Prize winning author.

Lastly, many veterans have PTSD they don’t admit to due to stigma and a fear of the loss of rights. There has been a better focus on this in recent years, but there is still an issue with getting those veterans the actual help they really need.

I would agree with the PP that fraud in VA benefits, as demonstrated by the few examples in the article compared to the millions of veterans who have served, is far less than in other government programs.

Anonymous wrote:If you aren’t working during a government shutdown, you shouldn’t get paid. Many federal employees are entitled brats because they have never been disciplined or told “no” by their parents. Fortunately, in his role as “father of the nation,” DJT will hold all federal employees accountable.

lol we know you love daddy Trump oooh yeah

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not paying the military is a great idea, let's do that.

Curious why you would say this?

-- DoD employee

Military members are people just like us civilian employees and do not require special treatment.

Are you five?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you aren’t working during a government shutdown, you shouldn’t get paid. Many federal employees are entitled brats because they have never been disciplined or told “no” by their parents. Fortunately, in his role as “father of the nation,” DJT will hold all federal employees accountable.

Satire?

God I hope so.

Some people choose to ignore the fact that many federal workers will return to their jobs post shutdown with the original timetable for their work programs still in place but having lost valuable time to execute it. Nobody wants this.