Effort to pay at least some federal workers fails in Senate

"The Senate has failed to advance a pair of competing measures to pay at least some federal employees during the government shutdown, a day before more than a million workers are set to miss a paycheck. One of the failed bills was a Republican-backed measure to allow employees who are deemed essential to receive a paycheck during a shutdown. Those workers, including troops, TSA agents and federal law enforcement like the Capitol Police, are currently working without pay."

""We certainly shouldn't set up a system where the president of the United States gets to decide what agencies to shut down, who to pay and who not to pay, who to punish, who not to punish," said the sponsor of that bill, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. Earlier this month, the White House fired several thousand federal employees, a move the courts later put on hold."

The Senate failed to advance two competing measures aimed at paying federal employees during the government shutdown, leaving over a million workers facing missed paychecks. One Republican-backed bill would have paid employees deemed essential, including troops, TSA agents and federal law enforcement, who are currently working without pay. A Democratic proposal sought to pay all federal employees and block additional mass layoffs by the Office of Management and Budget. Lawmakers clashed over presidential authority to manage the workforce. The Republican measure did not reach 60 votes and Democrats were blocked from bringing their bill to a vote.

Read at www.npr.org