Trump's economic adviser compares closure to holidays



[ad_1]

"A huge number of government employees were going to take holidays, for example, between Christmas and New Year's Day." And then we have a closure so they can not go to work. do not do it "Hassett told PBS during an appearance on" NewsHour ".

On Saturday, the government's ongoing partial shutdown broke the record and became the longest government shutdown in US history – endless in sight. The closure affected about a quarter of the federal government and hundreds of thousands of federal workers. It is estimated that 800,000 federal employees were affected by lack of funds, either by being forced to work unpaid until they last, or by being fired.

"Then they come back and receive their unpaid, and then they're, in a sense, they're better off," Hassett said.

Last week, Congress passed a law sponsored by Maryland Democratic Senator Ben Cardin to guarantee the wages of federal workers who were fired during the government's closure. But federal employees – on leave and those who have stayed at work – will still not be paid until the end of the closure.

President Donald Trump and lawmakers remain stuck facing the president's request to allocate Congress. $ 5.7 billion for the construction of a wall at the US-Mexico border. Trump said he was planning to declare a national emergency to get the money but would prefer to reach an agreement with Congress.

[ad_2]
Source link