With just two days left for lawmakers to reach a deal to keep the government open, negotiations hit a new snag Wednesday over a push by Democrats to include back pay for thousands of federal contractors hit by last month’s longest-ever partial shutdown.
Republican Sen. Roy Blunt said President Donald Trump would refuse to sign any agreement that includes contractor back pay.
“I’ve been told the president won’t sign that,” Sen. Blunt told ABC News. “I guess federal contractors are different in his view than federal employees.”
Despite the push by lawmakers to include the back pay provision for contractors, the issue has never been previously addressed in past government shutdowns.