The White House warned federal bureaucrats on Tuesday about their pay.

Workers who have been forced not to work during the Democrat shutdown face uncertainty. They are not guaranteed to receive back pay.

The White House could move forward with this legal analysis. This would increase pressure on Senate Democrats to end the weeklong shutdown. It could deny back pay to as many as 750,000 federal workers.

A memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget laid out the argument. The memo focused on the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act. This bill is known as GEFTA.

President Trump signed GEFTA during his first term in office. But the White House now says the law is deficient. It does not guarantee that federal workers automatically get compensated after a shutdown ends.

A senior White House official explained the administration’s position.

“Does this law cover all these furloughed employees automatically? The conventional wisdom is: Yes, it does. Our view is: No, it doesn’t.”

President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans want to fund the government with a stopgap measure. They support a continuing resolution without enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Those subsidies expire at the end of the year.

Democrats refuse to pass a clean continuing resolution. This has led to the current government shutdown.

A senior administration official spoke with Axios about the situation.

“This would not have happened if Democrats voted for the clean CR.”

The Trump White House believes GEFTA has specific language about payments. The law states that the government would pay workers for obligations incurred during the 2019 shutdown.

A White House official raised an important question about the law.

“If it [GEFTA] was self-executing” in future shutdowns, “why did Congress do that? It’s precedent.”

Not everyone agrees with the White House’s interpretation of the law. Sam Berger works at the Center for Policy and Budget Priorities. He is a senior fellow at that organization.

“The law here is quite clear. The caveat is, if you follow the law.”

Sen. Joni Ernst has been tracking the costs of the shutdown. The Iowa Republican told Breitbart News that taxpayers are paying $400 million per day. This money goes to non-essential federal bureaucrats not working.

“Make no mistake – the Schumer Shutdown is hitting Americans where it hurts the most – their wallets. Every day Democrats drag this on, taxpayers will foot a $400 million bill for 750,000 non-essential bureaucrats NOT to work.”

The Hawkeye State conservative is highlighting the financial burden on taxpayers.

Federal bureaucrats sitting at home are costing Americans massive amounts of money. They are not working but traditionally receive back pay. The White House wants to change this arrangement.

This legal interpretation could save taxpayers billions of dollars. If the shutdown continues for weeks, the savings would be enormous. Federal workers would not automatically receive compensation for time not worked.

The move puts tremendous pressure on Senate Democrats. They must decide whether to continue the shutdown. Their decision could cost 750,000 federal workers their back pay.

Democrats triggered this shutdown by refusing to pass a clean continuing resolution. Republicans offered a simple solution to keep the government funded. Democrats rejected it because it did not include enhanced Obamacare subsidies.

Now federal workers face the consequences of Democratic obstruction. The White House is not backing down from its position. Officials believe the law supports their interpretation.

This represents a major shift in how government shutdowns are handled. In the past, federal workers always received back pay. They got paid for not working during shutdowns.

The Trump administration wants to change this practice. Why should taxpayers pay workers for not working? Why should Democrats face no consequences for shutting down the government?

Sen. Ernst’s numbers are staggering. Four hundred million dollars per day adds up quickly. After two weeks, that’s nearly $6 billion wasted on non-essential bureaucrats.

The White House believes this new approach will force Democrats to negotiate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer must decide what matters more. Does he care more about Obamacare subsidies or federal worker paychecks?

Federal employees are caught in the middle of this political fight. Many rely on their paychecks to pay bills. The uncertainty about back pay creates real hardship.

But the White House argues Democrats created this situation. They could end the shutdown immediately by passing a clean continuing resolution. They refuse to do so.