I’ve always said that Trump should let folks know that he does not support paying people to stay home and do nothing. His OPM, in its directions to federal agencies, should state that federal “workers” who are furloughed need to apply for unemployment benefits, just as folks in the private sector do. The employees should also be informed that there is no guarantee that they will ever be called back to work and that there will be no backpay for the days that furloughed fed employees don’t work—the only backpay will be for the “essential” employees who continued working.
Trump needs to tell Congresional leaders that he will veto any bill providing for “back pay” or non-working federal employees.