Sat Jan 12, 2019, 06:53 AM
Star Member Arkansas Granny (23,292 posts)
Senior Trump adviser: Workers are 'better off' not getting paychecks
While Lori McLaurin, a furloughed federal worker, wonders just how close she is to becoming homeless, Trump’s top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, claims federal workers are “better off” because of the Trump shutdown.
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While McLaurin and 800,000 federal workers go without a paycheck, an out-of-touch White House is trying to make the claim that federal workers should be happy about their situation. In an interview with PBS Newshour, Hassett, chair of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, made a bizarre case of why unpaid federal workers are the lucky ones.
A huge share of government workers were going to take vacation days, say between Christmas and New Year’s,” Hassett said. “And then we have a shutdown, and so they can’t go to work. So then they have the vacation, but they don’t have to use their vacation days.”
Thus, Hassett concluded, “In some sense they’re better offn
https://www.sourcepolitics.com/senior-trump-adviser-workers-are-better-off-not-getting-paychecks/
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211660266President Trump’s economic adviser Kevin Hassett is making a very good point that hasn't been getting a lot of attention--it's a dirty little secret of these government shutdowns. When the shutdown started on Dec 22nd, annual leave and sick leave were cancelled at the affected agencies and the workers were either furloughed or required to report to work without pay if they were excepted. The weeks around Christmas and New Year's Day are very popular for taking annual leave for those with the seniority to get it. Non excepted employees got their annual leave cancelled and put on furlough. I'm sure that the vast majority of them went ahead with their holiday plans in spite of the shutdown. When a deal is reached these employees will, most likely, get paid regular time(which pays the same as annual leave)for the days that they spent on furlough, they
don't have to use their annual leave. Their leave got cancelled at the start of the shutdown, so they will end up getting the time off without having to use their own accrued annual leave. People with over 15 years of service are already accruing 8 hours of annual leave per pay period, that amounts to more than 5 weeks per year--the shutdown effectively adds another week or two to their accrued annual leave.
My own personal #ShutdownStories: I'm an excepted federal employee which means that I am going to work without pay during the shutdown. The uncertainty about how long it will go on has me a little concerned but it's hardly more than an inconvenience. No gofundme or food pantries for me, but I do wish that Stretch Pelosi and Chuck U. Schumer would fund the wall and end their shutdown.
Response to Arkansas Granny (Original post)Sat Jan 12, 2019, 06:55 AM
Star Member malaise (183,627 posts)
1. Heartless and shameless
Spot on is more like it, Christine.
Response to Arkansas Granny (Original post)Sat Jan 12, 2019, 07:19 AM
Star Member safeinOhio (15,110 posts)
5. Good luck Hassett, like the
same great luck those you speak of are having.
Response to Arkansas Granny (Original post)Sat Jan 12, 2019, 07:27 AM
Norbert (3,202 posts)
6. Sending thoughts and prayers to Kevin Hassett
Apparently his brain has the functionality of a blown circuit breaker.
He speaks the truth.