Congressional Republican leaders are hopeful that furloughed workers will receive back pay at the conclusion of the government shutdown, responding to news that legal analysts are scrutinizing whether government workers will receive compensation for time off.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) acknowledged that experts may be scrutinizing the 2019 federal law that requires federal employees to receive back pay. The comments come after the distribution of a memo from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget arguing there is a loophole in the law.

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