Trump advisor suggests unpaid government employees be "better off" when closing



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Kevin Hassett, Chief Economic Advisor of the White House, hinted at an interview Thursday that the estimated 800,000 federal employees who are not paid during the partial closure of the government are in a better position because that they are on extended vacation.

"A lot of government employees were going to take vacations, for example between Christmas and New Year," Hassett said in an interview with "PBS Newshour". "And then we have a stop, and so they can not go to work, so they have vacations, but they do not have to use their vacation days. And then they come back, and then they get their salary arrears. "

He continued:" In a sense, they are better off. "

Hassett then speculated that the closure would have no major long-term consequences even the closure cost about $ 20 billion to the company. Economics Friday

The partial closure, which began on December 22, is now the longest in the history of the US President Donald Trump has refused to reopen the government unless the Congress only $ 5.7 billion for a wall along the southern border, a stumbling block that the Democrats refused.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers missed their first paycheque of the year Friday, many of which still have to e go to work during the closing. Congress approved a bill last week to provide workers and people on vacation with back pay, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Announced that Trump will sign it. when he will reach his office.

build on both sides of the driveway to end the closure while Republicans worried that the stalemate tarnished the party's reputation. Senator Lindsey Graham (CS), a fervent supporter of the president, urged Trump on Sunday to temporarily reopen the government while negotiations continued and tried to dissuade him from any draft declaration of national emergency. Trump envisioned this option as a way to bypass Congress and build its wall unilaterally, even if such an effort would trigger an almost immediate legal battle.

He would have retired from this option in recent days.

"I urge him to open the government to the government for a short period of time, about three weeks, before he ends his activities," Graham said during the meeting. an interview with Fox News Sunday. See if we can get an agreement. If we can not after three weeks, all bets are open. See if he can do it himself thanks to the emergency powers. "

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