WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says it would support reimbursing the pay of employees who are furloughed as a result of a potential government shutdown.
It is up to Congress to decide whether to make a retroactive payment for government workers who must take a leave during a shutdown. Congress has authorized such payments in past government stoppages.
Jeffrey Zients of the Office of Management and Budget said the Obama administration would encourage Congress to make those reimbursements. He said a shutdown could affect 800,000 federal workers.
President Barack Obama, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were meeting to break an impasse in negotiations over a budget that would pay for government operations through the end of September. They face a Friday midnight deadline to avert a government shutdown.
