Part 4/9:
The core of the debate lies in the interpretation of the 2019 law governing shutdown back pay, particularly the law passed after the 2018 shutdown over President Trump’s border wall funding. The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA) stipulates that federal workers may receive back pay but only "subject to enactment of appropriations." This legal language means that while back pay can be authorized, it is not automatically guaranteed—Congress must specifically appropriate funds for it.