{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://horsford.house.gov/media/press-releases/horsford-public-servants-shouldn-t-pay-for-gop-failure-to-fund-government", "Horsford: Public Servants Shouldn\u2019t Pay for GOP Failure to Fund Government", "2025-09-30", "2025", "2025-09", "Democrat", "House", "NV", "Steven Horsford", "H001066", "horsford.house.gov", "horsford", "https://horsford.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) today re-introduced the Pay Workers What They've Earned Act. The legislation would reimburse federal employees for fees, interest, and fines charged through no fault of their own during a government shutdown. It would also reimburse state and tribal governments for costs incurred during government shutdowns.\n\n\u201cIf Republicans fail to fund the government, public servants will go without pay,\u201d Rep. Horsford said. \u201cBills don\u2019t go away; rent still comes due; living expenses don\u2019t pause to accommodate political incompetence.\n\n\u201cA GOP shutdown would mean too many federal employees struggling to make ends meet, and too many state and local governments covering federal expenses,\u201d Rep. Horsford continued. \u201cThe Pay Workers What They\u2019ve Earned Act will ensure the federal government doesn\u2019t leave others with its bills, and ensures public servants have the support they need during uncertain times.\u201d\n\nThe Pay Workers What They've Earned Act is endorsed by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and The National Education Association (NEA).\n\n\"NTEU strongly endorses the Pay Workers What They've Earned Act because it recognizes that a government shutdown unfairly harms federal employees and their families,\" Doreen Greenwald, National President of the National Treasury Employees Union said. \"During a shutdown, federal employee paychecks are delayed but their household bills keep coming, so our members are sometimes forced to run up their credit card debt or take out short-term loans just to make ends meet. This legislation would ease some of their anxiety and we thank Rep. Horsford for his leadership.\"\n\nDuring previous government shutdowns, many states had to use their own resources to cover the federal government's lapse in appropriations for critical programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and housing assistance.\n\nMany people on the federal payroll, from military servicemembers to air traffic controllers to TSA agents at the airport, are required to work without regular paychecks, forcing some to take short-term, high-interest loans to make ends meet.\n\nThe Pay Workers What They've Earned Act would:\n\nCover Family Costs\n\nProvide compensation to federal employees and contractors during a lapse in appropriations to cover the fees, interest and fines incurred due to the lapse in appropriations by setting up a reimbursement verification mechanism with the Department of Treasury.\n\nProvide Timely State and Tribal Reimbursement\n\nEnsure the federal government reimburses states that have used state budget funds to cover federal programs within 90 days after a shutdown.\n\nPrevent Burden for Families in the Future\n\nCreate a reserve fund for Federal Employees and Contractors who are furloughed during any future shutdowns.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://horsford.house.gov/media/press-releases/horsford-public-servants-shouldn-t-pay-for-gop-failure-to-fund-government"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9498819708824158, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}