On Tuesday, Representative Mo Brooks (AL-5) introduced H.R. 271, the No Work Without Pay Act, which requires the federal government to timely pay all employees who work during a government shutdown.
“During a federal government shutdown, federal employees are treated in two different ways. Roughly 380,000 federal workers[1] are ‘furloughed’ (sent home without pay until the shutdown ends). Roughly 420,000 other federal employees (like TSA agents or border patrol agents) are ordered to work without timely pay or even the guarantee of getting paid,” Brooks stated, per a news release. “Ordering a federal employee to work without timely pay is morally wrong and runs counter to every economic principle on which a free enterprise system is based. I have today introduced the No Work Without Pay Act to correct this wrong by requiring that federal employees who are ordered to work are timely paid for their work.”
Brooks then outlined the H.R. 271 bill and explained what it included. He also urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to look into the bill.
“H.R. 271 is a straight-forward, one-page bill that is the right thing to do for the roughly 420,000 federal employees at nine federal departments and dozens of independent agencies who are currently working without pay. This Friday, working federal employees will miss their paycheck unless Washington elected officials either pass H.R. 271 (or similar legislation) or the partial shutdown ends. I encourage House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to immediately take up H.R. 271 (or similar legislation) so paychecks will go out Friday to federal employees who worked for them during this partial shutdown,” he outlined.
In concluding his speech, Brooks made the case for the $5 billion border wall request made by President Donald Trump, calling it a “paltry investment.”
“Frankly, Washington should never have put federal employees in this position,” said Brooks. “When you consider that illegal aliens are a net tax loss of $116 billion annually and that each year there are thousands of Americans who are dead at the hands of illegal aliens, $5 billion for a border wall is a paltry investment and a significant compromise down from the $25 billion needed to help secure America’s porous southern border. Unfortunately, too many Washington elected officials have made it clear that their thirst for political power is more important than the lives of American citizens.”
He continued, “In a similar vein, I hope Democrats will rise to the occasion and treat federal workers better than they have treated American victims of illegal alien criminal conduct.”
Kyle Morris also contributes daily to Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @RealKyleMorris.
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