White House halting pay raises for top administration officials amid government shutdown
- Top Trump administration officials were slated to receive pay raises on Saturday, but the White House directed agencies to hold off.
- The pay raises would have come amid a government shutdown in which more than 800,000 federal employees are furloughed or working without pay.
The White House is halting pay raises for top administration officials, including top cabinet members and the vice president, while the government shutdown continues.
Acting Office of Personnel Management Director Margaret Weichert sent a memo to federal agencies on Friday stating that "it would be prudent for agencies to continue to pay these senior political officials at the frozen rate until appropriations legislation is enacted."
The raises were expected to begin on Saturday, but as the government shutdown continued, the White House backed off while more than 800,000 federal employees are furloughed or working without pay.
Vice President Mike Pence told reporters in the White House Rose Garden Friday he would not accept the more than $10,000 salary bump.
"This is another unnecessary byproduct of the shutdown," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. "The Administration is aware of the issue and we're exploring options to prevent this from being implemented while some federal workers are furloughed. Congress can easily take care of this by funding the government and securing our borders."
The scheduled pay increases enraged Democrats critical of the lingering shutdown.
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown called it "a betrayal of American workers" and accused Trump of "padding the pockets of his millionaire political officials."