October 9, 2025 • 3 mins
NBC News Radio National Correspondent Rory O'Neill joins us to discuss federal worker pay during a government shutdown.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is West Michigan's Morning News. It is Schmidty in
Firsty this morning. Joining us on the liveline, Rory O'Neal,
NBC News Radio National correspondent. We are still talking government
shut down. It continues on what is the latest?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Rory?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yeah, there really isn't much talking going on. They're not
really talking to each other very much. And as we're
seeing across the country, the effects of this shutdown keep
on popping up in little unexpected ways. I think mostly
at airports where there are fewer screeners, there are fewer
air traffic controllers. More of them are calling in sick
(00:34):
because they're not getting paid to show up to work.
And you know you're seeing this in food inspection offices
as well. Heck, even launching rockets from Florida. A lot
of the people there are not even sure if they
have to go into work or not. Are they considered
essential what's going on? So we're still trying to feel
our way through this. But I think the big impact
(00:55):
it all hits the fan, essentially when paychecks do or
do not go out. Vote next week.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Well, and Roy, when you look at that, I mean
it failed for the sixth time in the Senate yesterday
right where at day nine? So where is the negotiation
do you think going to happen, if any, because you
know they're at a steelmate obviously.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Well they are now. Remember the House is not even there,
they're not in session. So the only real legislation they
can consider is what the House already passed, which is
to keep spending on through November twenty first, as is now,
the Democrats, a few of them have already defected to
work with Republicans. One Republican Ran Paul he's now siding
with the Democrats because he always votes against a continuing resolution.
(01:35):
So really nothing is moving. And if they do try
to introduce something new, well you're going to need the
House back in order to approve it. So you really
can't make a whole lot of progress except for that
one continuing resolution, which still is a non starter, vote
after vote after vote again. What may move the needle
a bit starting next week is when those paychecks don't
(01:56):
go out. We did hear from President Trump who said
he'd like to find a way to to pay for
active duty military. That runs counter to what we heard
from Speaker Mike Johnson, the fellow Republican he sounded like
he wasn't on board with that. But look this whole idea, Congress,
those members the five hundred and thirty five, they still
get paid even during the shutdown when perhaps active duty
(02:19):
soldiers deployed overseas are not well.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
That's something we had spoken about before. Our Lakeshore Congressman
Heisinge had said he is not taking his paycheck while
this shutdown is happening for a reason. Just like that,
and talking about these paychecks, I'd read something about this
Federal Back Pay Act from I think twenty nineteen. But
now there's a chance that people won't see that benefit
when we do get the government back in session.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yeah, so inside the Office of Management and Budget, this
idea was floated around, saying, you know that twenty nineteen law,
which happened to be signed by a guy named Donald Trump.
By the way, we're not invoking that this time around
with this current bill, this continuing resolution, so we may
be able to skirt the idea that we have to
(03:02):
give back pay to everybody. Now, the Republicans in the
on the hill, they're like, don't worry, we're going to
pay everybody, because again, we don't want to look like
we're getting paid and you aren't. But there is the
argument to be made. Let's just say you're a secretary
of the Department of Agriculture and you've been off this
past week because you're furloughed. Well, you're off, you're a home,
you're not actually working. But if you're a TSA screener,
(03:24):
you are working during the same time. So wait, is
it fair to not pay versus pay? What's going on there?
But I think overall the consensus is going to be no, no, no,
everyone will be getting paid.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
All right, man, I'm sure we'll be talking to you
quite a bit more about this. Rory O'Neil, NBC News
Radio National Correspondent. As always, we appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Thanks Matty,
This is West Michigan's Morning News. It is Schmidty in
Firsty this morning. Joining us on the liveline, Rory O'Neal,
NBC News Radio National correspondent. We are still talking government
shut down. It continues on what is the latest?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Rory?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yeah, there really isn't much talking going on. They're not
really talking to each other very much. And as we're
seeing across the country, the effects of this shutdown keep
on popping up in little unexpected ways. I think mostly
at airports where there are fewer screeners, there are fewer
air traffic controllers. More of them are calling in sick
(00:34):
because they're not getting paid to show up to work.
And you know you're seeing this in food inspection offices
as well. Heck, even launching rockets from Florida. A lot
of the people there are not even sure if they
have to go into work or not. Are they considered
essential what's going on? So we're still trying to feel
our way through this. But I think the big impact
(00:55):
it all hits the fan, essentially when paychecks do or
do not go out. Vote next week.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Well, and Roy, when you look at that, I mean
it failed for the sixth time in the Senate yesterday
right where at day nine? So where is the negotiation
do you think going to happen, if any, because you
know they're at a steelmate obviously.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Well they are now. Remember the House is not even there,
they're not in session. So the only real legislation they
can consider is what the House already passed, which is
to keep spending on through November twenty first, as is now,
the Democrats, a few of them have already defected to
work with Republicans. One Republican Ran Paul he's now siding
with the Democrats because he always votes against a continuing resolution.
(01:35):
So really nothing is moving. And if they do try
to introduce something new, well you're going to need the
House back in order to approve it. So you really
can't make a whole lot of progress except for that
one continuing resolution, which still is a non starter, vote
after vote after vote again. What may move the needle
a bit starting next week is when those paychecks don't
(01:56):
go out. We did hear from President Trump who said
he'd like to find a way to to pay for
active duty military. That runs counter to what we heard
from Speaker Mike Johnson, the fellow Republican he sounded like
he wasn't on board with that. But look this whole idea, Congress,
those members the five hundred and thirty five, they still
get paid even during the shutdown when perhaps active duty
(02:19):
soldiers deployed overseas are not well.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
That's something we had spoken about before. Our Lakeshore Congressman
Heisinge had said he is not taking his paycheck while
this shutdown is happening for a reason. Just like that,
and talking about these paychecks, I'd read something about this
Federal Back Pay Act from I think twenty nineteen. But
now there's a chance that people won't see that benefit
when we do get the government back in session.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yeah, so inside the Office of Management and Budget, this
idea was floated around, saying, you know that twenty nineteen law,
which happened to be signed by a guy named Donald Trump.
By the way, we're not invoking that this time around
with this current bill, this continuing resolution, so we may
be able to skirt the idea that we have to
(03:02):
give back pay to everybody. Now, the Republicans in the
on the hill, they're like, don't worry, we're going to
pay everybody, because again, we don't want to look like
we're getting paid and you aren't. But there is the
argument to be made. Let's just say you're a secretary
of the Department of Agriculture and you've been off this
past week because you're furloughed. Well, you're off, you're a home,
you're not actually working. But if you're a TSA screener,
(03:24):
you are working during the same time. So wait, is
it fair to not pay versus pay? What's going on there?
But I think overall the consensus is going to be no, no, no,
everyone will be getting paid.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
All right, man, I'm sure we'll be talking to you
quite a bit more about this. Rory O'Neil, NBC News
Radio National Correspondent. As always, we appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Thanks Matty,
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