“Lawless” – OMB Director Vought Seeks to Illegally Deny Pay to Furloughed Federal Workers
Latest threat targets hundreds of thousands of working families
WASHINGTON, DC – International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) executive officers issued the following statements in response to the Trump Administration’s latest plan to illegally deny salaries to hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal employees.
President Matt Biggs: “The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act is bipartisan law that has been in effect since 2019, and one that passed the House overwhelmingly with only 7 no votes, passed the Senate on a voice vote without a single Senator raising a concern, and was signed by President Trump. It is outrageous that OMB has now not only removed it as a reference point for federal employees to be aware of during a time of uncertainty for themselves and their families, but is actively attempting to ignore the law altogether. This is lawless, cruel, and immoral. Despite the OMB director’s clear disdain for our federal workforce, he can’t unilaterally ignore a law that overwhelmingly passed both chambers of Congress and was signed by President Trump himself. The OMB needs to stop playing games with the livelihoods of federal workers and their families.”
Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson: “This latest threat from OMB Director Vought targets some 620,000 working families across our nation. Just like millions of other households across America, civil servants and their families are already getting squeezed by today’s economy of rising prices and stagnant wages. It is inexplicable to anyone who has a moral compass as to why any administration, which is elected to defend the best interests of the American public, would target their very own workforce in such a cruel and heartless manner. Simply stated, this is lawless. We at IFPTE condemn this in the strongest possible terms and will fight to protect the pay of our members, and all federal workers. We also call on Speaker Johnson and Majority Leader Thune, who both supported the Government Employees Fair Treatment Act when it came before the Congress in 2019, to stay true to their principles today and oppose any attempt to undermine this legislation.”
IFPTE is a labor union representing upwards of 90,000 across North America, including upwards of 30,000 federal workers.
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