Letter to the Hon. Mitch McConnell, United States Senate Majority Leader, the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, the Hon. Richard Shelby, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Hon. Nita M. Lowey, Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, the Hon. Patrick M. Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the Hon. Kay Granger, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee - Rep. Pressley, Progressive Caucus colleagues lead letter urging back pay for federal contractors

Letter

Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Shelby, Vice Chairman Leahy, Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger:

As the Senate and House negotiate appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2020 we strongly encourage you to include -- consistent with House-passed legislation -- backpay for workers who were employed by federal government contractors and who did not receive pay during the most recent federal government shutdown which ended in January 2019.

Federal contractors work alongside government employees performing critical jobs that include food service, engineering, security, maintenance, electrical work, and much more. For many contract workers, missing even one paycheck can leave their family unable to pay rent, mortgage payments, or grocery bills. Unfortunately, contract workers impacted by the most recent shutdown did not receive multiple paychecks, and they were not made whole at the conclusion of the shutdown unlike federal workers. Federally contracted workers, and their families, bear no responsibility for the shutdown, but ultimately, they continue to pay for it.

Unlike their federal counterparts, contractors have not been made whole from the last shutdown. This represents a moral failure on the part of Congress. The House has taken the first step in passing appropriations language to provide this back pay and we ask that this language be included in any legislation that comes out of upcoming appropriations negotiations. This would dramatically improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of American workers who still face the repercussions of the shutdown over the most recent holiday season.

We thank you for reviewing this important request, and we look forward to working with you to ensure impacted federal contract workers receive the pay they missed through no fault of their own.