Lede
Only in government can you be ordered to work and not be paid, then be told to say thanks.

What does not make sense

• Calling it public service while withholding pay for weeks.
• Expecting loyalty from staff while playing legal ping pong over back pay.
• Millionaires in safe seats deciding a cashier can wait for rent.
• Applauding stability while airports, courts, and safety labs thin out.

Sense check / The numbers

1. Excepted employees must keep working during a shutdown and do not get paid until funding resumes. That comes from OPM and CRS.
2. OPM guidance says excepted employees are entitled to retroactive pay after the shutdown ends under 31 U.S.C. 1341(c)(2).
3. Reports say the White House is questioning whether the 2019 back pay law guarantees payment to furloughed workers in this shutdown. This has thrown back pay into doubt.
4. The shutdown is now in its third week. Agencies are furloughing staff and curtailing work. The federal courts are beginning furloughs, while many essential roles continue without pay.
5. National security work is also hit. The NNSA has moved to furlough most staff while a small essential crew continues.

The sketch

Panel 1: Lab tech in hi-vis flips a switch. A wall sign lights up: ESSENTIAL WORK CONTINUES. A side display shows PAY: PENDING.
Panel 2: Fridge at home. Post-it: RENT DUE, CHILDCARE DUE. A pay stub on the door reads BACK PAY TBD.
Panel 3: Capitol podium. Politician says: You will be made whole. Tiny footnote card on the lectern: after deal.

What to watch, not the show

• A clear legal position on back pay for both excepted and furloughed workers.
• Agency by agency guidance on who is excepted and how many are unpaid.
• Knock-on costs: missed rent, credit charges, and staff attrition.
• Safety and justice delays as courts and labs scale back.
• Any clean vote to fund payroll while leaders posture elsewhere.

The Hermit take

Count what matters, and say what it is out of. Out of pay packets, rent money, and trust.
Say the quiet part. If you want people to serve, pay them on time.

Keep or toss

Toss the shutdown.

Sources

OPM shutdown furlough guidance PDF – https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/furlough-guidance/guidance-for-shutdown-furloughs.pdf
OPM special instructions Oct 2025 PDF – https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/reference-materials/special-instructions-for-agencies-affected-by-a-possible-lapse-in-appropriations-starting-on-10-1-2025/
CRS explainer on shutdown operations – https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47693
Reuters – US courts set to begin furloughs as shutdown lingers – https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-courts-set-run-out-money-begin-furloughs-shutdown-lingers-2025-10-17/
The Guardian – NNSA to furlough most staff amid shutdown – https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/17/government-shutdown-nuclear-agency-nnsa
Federal News Network – White House memo puts back pay in limbo – https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/10/the-law-is-the-law-white-house-memo-on-pay-for-furloughed-employees-called-into-question/
GovExec – Article on White House stance on back pay – https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2025/10/dems-murkowski-demand-white-house-guarantee-backpay-furloughed-feds/408839/
DHS resource page on excepted vs not excepted – https://www.dhs.gov/employee-resources/lapse-appropriations