Cole Votes to Protect Federal Workers

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 3223, the Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act. This legislation would ensure that federal workers receive lost pay for the duration of the government shutdown, regardless of furlough status.

"It has now been five days since appropriated dollars to fund the government expired, causing this unfortunate shutdown," said Cole. "Since this lapse in appropriations, more than 800,000 federal workers have been needlessly furloughed. Shutdown is not their fault, and there's no reason why they should suffer lost working days and pay because the Senate and president refuse to engage in real negotiations. I am pleased that the House has taken action to protect the livelihood of these valuable federal employees, ensuring that they are compensated for lost pay."

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