PSC to President Trump: Work with Congress to Prioritize Full-Year Funding and Provide Back Pay for Contract Workers

Arlington, Va. (Jan. 9, 2019)—The Professional Services Council (PSC) is requesting that President Trump work with Congress to prioritize full-year funding and immediately end the partial government shutdown. Now in its third week with no clear end in sight, the partial shutdown has negatively impacted thousands of contract workers who are not receiving pay and who, unlike their federal civilian employee counterparts, historically have never received back pay.

“During this shutdown, PSC is working hard to ensure Congress and the President know the impact on contractors and the importance of equal treatment for contractor employees” said David J. Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council (PSC). “PSC respectfully requests that President Trump work with Congress to provide full year appropriations for the affected federal government departments and agencies, and we urge the President to direct the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure equal treatment for contract workers with regard to back pay.”   

In a letter sent to President Trump yesterday, PSC underscored the vital role of hundreds of thousands of workers who support the government through contracts across America. As the shutdown drags on, more and more of these workers are losing their work and their pay, and critical government missions and functions are needlessly idled. 

Tuesday's letter follows similar correspondence sent by PSC to Congressional leaders last Friday regarding the need to provide full funding for the government and fair treatment of contract workers.

“They deserve to be treated the same as their federal civilian counterparts,” Berteau stated in the letter to the President. “PSC again urges you to direct OMB to issue guidance that will provide the same redress for government contractors as is provided to federal civilian employees.”

PSC offers various guidance on how federal contractors can best navigate the current shutdown. View our Government Shutdown Resource Center for more information, and stay up to date by visiting PSC on Twitter at @PSCspeaks. 

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Media Contact: 
Ashlei Stevens
Director, Media Relations
703.875.8974 stevens@pscouncil.org 
About PSC: PSC is the voice of the government technology and professional services industry. PSC’s nearly 400 member companies represent small, medium and large businesses that provide federal agencies with services of all kinds, including information technology, engineering, logistics, facilities management, operations and maintenance, consulting, international development, scientific, social, environmental services, and more. Together, the trade association’s members employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in all 50 states. Follow PSC on Twitter @PSCSpeaks. To learn more, visit www.pscouncil.org.