A member of the U.S. Park Service puts up a closed sign at the Washington Monument on October 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

A draft White House memo suggests that furloughed federal employees need not be paid for time they didn’t work during the government shutdown , an administration official told CNN.

Such a move would represent a new interpretation of the law that is likely to generate significant controversy on Capitol Hill and among government workers.

CNN has not reviewed the memo itself, and it is not clear how seriously the idea was being considered. AXIOS was first to report on the draft memo.

The updated memo from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget contends that the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA) has either been mi

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