Dems lash out at Trump for recalling furloughed workers

Democrats are becoming increasingly angered by the Trump administration’s decision to call back furloughed federal workers, without pay, while the shutdown persists.

More and more workers at agencies with funding lapses are being told to report back to work, and the employees won’t be paid until after the shutdown ends. Democrats worry that furloughed workers are being recalled on a piecemeal basis in order to further President Trump’s political goals.

“To force them to come back to work for no pay, it’s ridiculous,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who represents a state with tens of thousands of federal employees. “And it’s the president deciding which agencies he likes and which he doesn’t."

Under the Antideficiency Act, federal employees at agencies with funding lapses can perform work only if it’s necessary to protect human life and property or it is otherwise authorized by law.

Charles Tiefer, a law professor at the University of Baltimore who served as deputy general counsel of the House in the 1980s and 1990s, said he’s concerned that the administration is bringing back employees without pay “who are not in any way emergency personnel.”

https://thehill.com/policy/finance/426123-dems-lash-out-at-trump-for-recalling-furloughed-workers