A White House draft memo reveals a possible loophole in back pay for furloughed federal workers. What to expect from former FBI Director James Comey’s arraignment. And, former Republican governors share their concerns about Trump’s recent National Guard moves.
Here’s what to know today.
White House floats denying back pay to furloughed workers
A draft White House memo argues that furloughed federal workers are not entitled to back pay after the government shutdown lifts, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News. The memo comes despite the Office of Personnel Management’s own guidance last month, which said federal workers will receive retroactive pay after the shutdown lifts.
The memo also clashes with a 2019 law that requires back pay for federal workers. The law says all federal employees, whether furloughed or deemed essential and working without pay, must receive back pay after a shutdown ends.
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Axios reported that the White House does not believe the law automatically covers all furloughed workers because of a change to the law that says employees would be paid “subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse.”
Any White House action based on the memo would increase pressure on the Senate to pass a short-term funding bill. Congress could close the supposed loophole cited by the White House in any funding resolution to reopen the government.
Asked about the White House’s position on back pay, President Donald Trump told reporters, “I would say it depends on who we’re talking about.”
He added: “For the most part, we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”
Read the full story.
More shutdown news:
Flight delays were reported across the country for a second straight day yesterday as the FAA braced for more airport staffing shortages.
Federal funding for air travel in rural areas will run out Sunday if the shutdown continues.
James Comey set to be arraigned
Former FBI Director James Comey will appear in federal court for his arraignment on charges brought after a public campaign by Trump to prosecute him.
Comey was indicted last month on charges of making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. He is expected to enter a not guilty plea at the hearing, set to begin this morning. The charges were filed after the president successfully pressured a federal prosecutor to resign, then named one of his personal attorneys to head the office.
The charges against Comey are the latest brought against a high-profile Trump foe. A group of former federal judges warned the case against Comey was a “grave danger” to the rights and liberties of every American.
Read the full story.
Trump’s National Guard moves worry former GOP governors
As Trump clashes with Democratic governors over his push to deploy federalized National Guard troops to their cities, several former Republican governors raised concerns about the White House’s tactics and constitutional crises — while also noting that the president has wide latitude to deploy the guard.
The three former governors, who have long histories of criticizing Trump, also expressed a sense of resignation, saying they believe he will charge ahead unless the courts rein him in.
While these former governors are critics, their perspectives as former chief executives of their states are instructive when active Republicans dealing with the White House and its political objectives on a daily basis are less inclined to publicly scrutinize Trump.
Sitting GOP governors were less eager to weigh in on the matter, which could escalate if Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, a step he said he would consider if resistance from mayors, governors and courts makes it “necessary.”
Read the full story.
Read All About It
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Egypt for Gaza ceasefire talks.
Employer surveys estimated health plan costs will climb about 9% next year, which might show up in workers’ monthly premiums or through higher deductibles and copays.
The Louisiana State Police published new video from the deadly pileup involving LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, defending its investigation after Lacy’s lawyer claimed to have new evidence allegedly exonerating the late college football star.
Scientists Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing a new form of molecular architecture.
Original artwork from painter and TV host Bob Ross will be auctioned off to help support public television stations after funding was cut by the Trump administration.
No, Taylor Swift is not headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, but it’s not because the NFL wouldn’t allow her to own her performance footage.
A mysterious interstellar comet — just the third such object ever confirmed to have entered our solar system — streaked past Mars last week.
Staff Pick: JD’s ‘normal’ aspirations
To Vice President JD Vance, there may be no higher compliment than “normal.” It’s an ideal he has been chasing since the turbulent childhood that he chronicled in his bestselling 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” — long before Democrats last year tried to brand him as “weird.” It’s also a guiding principle that he’s spoken or written about repeatedly over the years.
Of course, what is normal is a subjective measure. Vance’s measure of it has at times served as a value judgment against women without children (you may recall his “childless cat ladies” rant), transgender people and others whose values don’t completely align with his own.
I have been covering Vance for nearly a decade, and this construct became so familiar to me that I decided it was worth exploring and quantifying, if possible. I combed through Vance’s essays, speeches and interviews, and found countless appeals to “normal” people. I also spoke with those close to Vance, including family and friends, to get a better understanding of how a single, simple word carries so much meaning to him.
– Henry J. Gomez, senior national political reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Prime Big Deal Days is still going strong — and the NBC Select team is keeping tabs on what’s worth the purchase. Plus, the best under-$50 finds, top-rated beauty markdowns and retailer rival deals from Target and Walmart.
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