Missed Payroll Dates Mount, Adding Pressure to Shutdown Deadlock

More than a quarter million federal employees didn’t receive their scheduled paychecks this week as the US government shutdown enters its second week.

Another two million will go without pay if the impasse extends into a third week. The missed payrolls mark a tangible pain point in the partisan standoff, adding to the pressure for Congress to pass a spending bill to reopen the government.

The Trump administration is turning that pressure up. The latest threat comes in a draft legal memo from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget arguing that workers won’t necessarily get back pay once ...