Campaign Action
Existing federal rules prevent federal workers who are forced to work without pay during a government shutdown, "excepted workers" in government speak, from getting unemployment benefits. But state, local, and federal elected Democrats are trying to change that.
Under the Department of Labor's interpretation of the law, employees ordered to work during a shutdown, even without pay, are considered "employed" and not eligible for assistance. Democratic Govs. Jay Inslee of Washington, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Andrew Cuomo of New York want the DOL to provide "clear, unambiguous guidance" for states that want to provide benefits. The interpretation the DOL is working under says that "states may determine that they are still fully employed" and thus ineligible. The states need to know how much flexibility they have in making that determination, and the governors told the DOL that if the statute doesn't allow them that, the department should "work expeditiously with congressional leaders on a change to the statute to allow our states the ability to offer this critical assistance to workers and their families." D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has directly asked Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to allow the city to provide benefits to these workers "without repercussion or penalty."
Three Democratic congressional members from Connecticut, Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, have written to Acosta asking him to "expeditiously" give states the leeway to provide the benefits. Blumenthal has also introduced legislation to make the law clear in allowing unemployment benefits for employees who are forced to stay on the job unpaid. The workers would have to reimburse the states for those benefits once government is reopened and they get their back pay.
Call your Republican senators at 202-224-3121 and tell them to reopen government. Don't stop until this is over.