A group of lawmakers, including U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), have called on the Trump Administration to immediately reinstate and resume paying federal employees who have been furloughed despite their positions being funded entirely by user fees. The request was made in a letter addressed to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought.
The legislators argued that fee-funded roles at federal agencies are not impacted by lapses in congressional appropriations caused by the ongoing government shutdown, which they described as “Republican-driven.” They noted that, historically, such employees have continued working and receiving pay during previous shutdowns.
“We are deeply concerned by reports of federal employees whose jobs are fee-funded being furloughed or denied pay while working during the current government shutdown at the direction of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). These moves are unprecedented during a government shutdown and have no legal or financial justification. They are clearly designed simply to inflict pain on the federal workforce and to deprive the American people of the services these federal employees provide,” the lawmakers stated.
The letter highlighted cases at the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, where workers handling visa and passport processing—services funded through collected fees—have faced furloughs and withheld paychecks. The lawmakers said, “There is no legal or financial reason to deny compensation to these employees as the money necessary to pay them is still being collected for services that are still being rendered. Passport Services did not suffer any disruption to its operations or payroll during either of the government shutdowns during President Trump’s first term. The only rationale here seems to be needlessly inflicting maximum pain on federal workers who are serving the American people.”
They further wrote: “There is no legal, financial, or historical reason to furlough or withhold pay from any federal employees whose wages do not rely on appropriated funds. These employees are non-partisan Americans who work hard to ensure the safety, security, and prosperity of their fellow Americans day in and day out. As such, we urge the immediate reinstatement of and resumption of pay for all federal employees who do not rely on appropriations for their work or wages.”
In addition to Senators Hirono, Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ron Wyden (D-OR) signed the letter along with over 50 members from the House of Representatives.
The letter also posed several questions for OMB Director Vought regarding how many fee-funded employees across agencies like GSA and State Department have been affected by furloughs or denied pay; what impact this has had on public services; and what legal grounds exist for such directives.
A recent guidance issued by the State Department emphasized that consular operations would remain functional as long as sufficient fees were available, supporting claims that payroll should not be interrupted under current circumstances.
