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Historically, federal contractors have never received back pay during a shutdown, weather closing, etc. There's actually no legal statute in place to make the funds shift over to them if work was not performed. That said, in previous shutdowns, no other person in Congress has ever decided to propose that contractors also be paid. This is a first (I think Sen. Mark Warner tried to spearhead this??).
I think it's admirable that members of Congress are finally starting to recognize the full suffering of a shutdown to Americans and not just the federal workers. The contractor (shadow) government workforce is almost as big as the federal workforce.
It would be great if they could pass some measure to pay them; however, I think it's going to take a lot of fiscal legal advice/research to see a way to make it happen.
But we are paying 800,000 federal workers that were laid off for a month.
Personally I would require them to make up the lost time if they are going to be paid when they did not work. Many were working without pay that is different.
So far, despite all the hurried negotiations over the details of border-security funding, Congress seems to be in agreement that the government will not shut down again on Friday, and has agreed to backpay some 800,000 federal workers the salaries they missed during the previous 35-day shutdown. But when it comes to the federal contractors who also went unpaid during that period—up to 580,000 people, according to one estimate—it gets trickier. “I’ve been told the president won’t sign” anything that guarantees them backpay, Senator Roy Blunt told reporters on Wednesday. “I guess federal contractors are different in his view than federal employees.”
This really depends on the individual contractor and the contract.
The contract I'm on is a special project, so it was not impacted by the shutdown. Even if it had been, I would have been paid through my employer - I'm salaried - we just wouldn't have been able to bill any time for that month. I probably would have been "farmed out" to another project within my company for some/most/all of that time, as well.
Now, if contractors actually performed work during the shutdown and are not getting paid for that work.... That scenario is inexcusable regardless of who is in the White House.
This really depends on the individual contractor and the contract.
The contract I'm on is a special project, so it was not impacted by the shutdown. Even if it had been, I would have been paid through my employer - I'm salaried - we just wouldn't have been able to bill any time for that month. I probably would have been "farmed out" to another project within my company for some/most/all of that time, as well.
Now, if contractors actually performed work during the shutdown and are not getting paid for that work.... That scenario is inexcusable regardless of who is in the White House.
You must work with a company with several contracts?
When I was a contractor (defense), I spent 15 years with one small company that subbed on a one very large, lucrative contract. If that contract had been impacted by the shutdown, my company had no means to move me to another project and they had very little overhead/profit that they could just pay their 23 employees with for any more than probably a week.
If they're not working on direct billable projects, employees are paid by the consulting firm as an SG&A expense if they are told to come into the office. They can come in and work on contract proposals.
Contractors get paid for performing a service and/or providing a product. If they did not work to do such during the shutdown, then they should not get paid. Every contract employee I have ever worked with understood that; if they do not like it, they can find another avenue of employment.
Some of your brought up DOD contractors, but as far as I know, the shutdown did not affect any DOD contractors, only contractors of certain agencies like Homeland Security.
“I guess federal contractors are different in his view than federal employees.” Yes, they are very different than federal employees.
So far, despite all the hurried negotiations over the details of border-security funding, Congress seems to be in agreement that the government will not shut down again on Friday, and has agreed to backpay some 800,000 federal workers the salaries they missed during the previous 35-day shutdown. But when it comes to the federal contractors who also went unpaid during that period—up to 580,000 people, according to one estimate—it gets trickier. “I’ve been told the president won’t sign” anything that guarantees them backpay, Senator Roy Blunt told reporters on Wednesday. “I guess federal contractors are different in his view than federal employees.”
A bill that allows the federal contractors to get paid. Not sure if there is one, but after the last shutdown, some senators had tacked that on a proposed CR bill.
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Trump Is Refusing to Pay Contractors For Work During the Shutdown
