Trump’s Commitment to Rehire Workers
On Monday, President Trump announced his intention to comply with a provision in the Senate agreement aimed at reopening the government, which mandates the reinstatement of federal employees terminated during the shutdown.
“I will abide by the deal,” Trump stated during a press briefing in the Oval Office. The agreement includes provisions for rehiring federal workers who lost their jobs during the shutdown, ensuring back pay for all federal employees regardless of their employment status, and preventing further layoffs until January 30, when this temporary measure expires.
The president emphasized that this deal is beneficial, stating, “We are not going to be giving one-and-a-half trillion dollars to people who came in from jails and from gangs and drug dealers; they wanted healthcare, which would have harmed our healthcare system.”
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who was instrumental in advancing the legislation with his Democratic vote, mentioned that it was the clause preventing additional layoffs that persuaded him to support ending the shutdown.
The resolution specifies that any employee dismissed after September 30, 2025, will be reinstated “without interruption” and will receive all due back pay.
The Trump administration terminated a significant number of workers during the ongoing shutdown, which reached its 42nd day on Monday. Initially, 4,108 workers were let go on October 1; this figure was later revised to approximately 4,278 by mid-October. These cuts represent only a small fraction of the U.S. government’s total workforce of around 2 million civilians at the beginning of Trump’s presidency.
Trump expressed his approval of the deal negotiated by senators over the weekend. However, it must navigate several procedural challenges in the Senate before moving to the House for final approval and ultimately reaching Trump’s desk.
“We have support from enough Democrats and we are going to be opening up our country,” Trump concluded.
