Half a million federal workers will miss paychecks Friday as shutdown drags on

It’s day 24 of the government shutdown, and it’s getting more painful for many federal workers who are set to miss their first full paychecks on Friday. Federal employees are expected to get back pay once the shutdown ends, but the delay is causing significant hardship for many families. More than half a million federal workers will miss a full paycheck on Friday, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. On Thursday, most Democrats rejected a Republican-led bill that would’ve restored pay for “excepted” employees, who must continue working during the shutdown. The vote was 54-45. A competing Democratic proposal aims to cover all federal workers, including furloughed employees, and prevent the Trump administration from firing people during the shutdown. After another day of gridlock, senators leading the charge suggested there may be a path forward for compromise when it comes to restoring pay. “I’m willing to add furloughed workers, and now it’s just kind of down to the reduction in force,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin. “I don’t want to completely constrain the president, but I don’t mind making sure that Congress has a say in this as well. So I’m actually quite hopeful.”Asked if an agreement could be ready by next week, Johnson said, “I think we can fix it over the weekend.” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said, “I would love to get a compromise, but the basic principle has to be that no federal employee should be penalized or have to pay the price for a shutdown that they had nothing to do with.”On Thursday, President Donald Trump criticized Democrats for rejecting the Republican bill to pay essential workers. Earlier this month, the president unilaterally directed the Pentagon to cover mid-month paychecks for military members with unobligated funding from the last fiscal year. Trump says a private donor gave $130 million to cover the military’s payroll next week, if necessary. Air traffic controllers will miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. With no end to the shutdown in sight, the president is set to leave for Asia on Friday. That trip is expected to stretch through Thursday of next week. Inflation report to be released, as shutdown delays other economic metricsThe Consumer Price Index is due to be released on Friday morning, more than a week behind schedule. The Labor Department called some workers back to compile the data so that the government can calculate annual cost-of-living adjustments for benefit programs like Social Security. Other data drops, such as the latest jobs report, are still on hold due to the government shutdown. That’s complicating the Federal Reserve’s efforts to track economic trends ahead of a significant decision on interest rates expected next week.A push to prevent missed SNAP benefits Concerns are rising about a possible lapse in SNAP benefits next month if the government shutdown continues. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, is introducing a bill to ensure full funding for the SNAP program during the shutdown. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration would “absolutely support that legislation.” Meanwhile, Democrats are calling on the Trump administration to tap into contingency funds to prevent missed benefits. On Thursday, officials in Louisiana, Vermont and Virginia pledged to find funding for food aid. Other states are reporting technical roadblocks as they try to keep the program running. More from the Washington Bureau: