Democrats introduced legislation Wednesday meant to ensure that workers for federal contractors are given some back pay when the partial shutdown ends, an assurance that Congress has already given people who work directly for the government.
Government contractor workers, in the past, have had simply to absorb any pay lost during shutdowns. The legislation introduced Wednesday would restore some of those missed earnings.
“From kitchen workers and maintenance staff to janitors and construction workers, federal contractor employees perform some of the most thankless yet essential jobs for our government,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen , D-Md., a co-sponsor. “They should not be punished for a shutdown they had nothing to do with.”
The legislation would reimburse federal contractors for providing back pay up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level for a family of four. Contractors would be required to provide documentation of the hours they normally work.
Eva Hicks, a worker for a security firm contracted by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, had the misfortune of her first day on the job being Dec. 22, the same day the government shut down. As a consequence, she hasn’t been able to keep up on bills. “I’m literally crying every day, looking at my kids and asking myself how I am going to provide for them,” she said at an event hosted by Van Hollen.
There are an estimated 4.1 million federal contractors, though it is unclear how many have been affected by the shutdown, given the variety of contracts. Contractors do a variety of different jobs for the government, from construction projects to cafeteria staffing.
