House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Thursday called it a “shame” that the White House was preparing to fire “thousands” of federal employees during the shutdown but noted the administration had already been doing that before the lapse in funding. “The Trump administration has been firing thousands of federal employees outside of the context of a government shutdown since Jan. 20,” he told reporters outside the Capitol. “These are hardworking public servants, many of them veterans.” P

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Tuesday the Trump administration has no legal basis to deny back pay to federal workers who have been furloughed during the shutdown. “The law is clear: Every single furloughed federal employee is entitled to back pay. Period. Full stop,” he told reporters. “The law is clear, and we will make sure that that law is followed.” The White House recently circulated a memo suggesting federal workers may not be eligible for back pay, which would appear