WASHINGTON — The House has passed a bill to give 800,000 furloughed federal workers retroactive pay once the government reopens.
The House passed the bill in a rare Saturday session. The vote was 407-0. The Senate was expected to pass it as well, but when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will schedule that vote is not yet known.
The White House said yesterday that President Obama will sign the legislation.
The federal government has been partially shut down since Tuesday, the start of the new budget year. Since Tuesday, the House has moved to pass a succession of piecemeal bills to ensure funding Veterans Affairs, the National Institute of Health, National Park Service, and many others.
So far, only military funding and now this bill have received support from Democrats.
Both President Barack Obama and Congress are in Washington on Saturday, but there’s no apparent progress in ending the shutdown.
After the voting, House are planning to leave town and not return until Monday evening.
As long as Democrats keep rejecting the piecemeal approach, saying the entire government should be reopened.
