Pressley Introduces Amendment to Incorporate Her Fair Pay for Federal Contractors Act into Bipartisan Bill Led by Oversight Chair and Ranking Member

Video (YouTube) | Amendment Text (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Today, in a House Oversight Committee markup, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) introduced an amendment to provide back pay for the thousands of federal contract workers who were furloughed and missed paychecks during the Republican federal government shutdown. Unlike federal employees, the thousands of federal contract workers—including janitorial, food, and security services workers—have no assurances that they will receive back pay to make up for their loss of hours and pay during a shutdown.

Congresswoman Pressley’s amendment would incorporate her Fair Pay for Federal Contractors Act into the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act – bipartisan legislation led by Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Chairman James Comer. Pressley introduced the legislation in the 119^th Congress in October during the government shutdown and has championed the bill since 2019 alongside Senator Tina Smith (D-MN).

A transcript of the Congresswoman’s remarks during the markup today is available below, and the video is available here. Text of the Congresswoman’s amendment is available here.

Transcript: Pressley Keeps Fighting to Provide Federal Contract Workers with Backpay After Government Shutdown

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

December 2, 2025

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

This is the first time that the House Oversight Committee has convened since the end of the longest government shutdown in history.

And during that shutdown, millions of people across our country felt the consequences of Republican dysfunction, and federal workers were amongst the hardest hit.

But unlike federal employees, the thousands of federal contract workers who keep this government running, including janitorial, food, and security service workers, had no assurances that they would ever see a single dollar of the wages that they lost.

When the government reopened, their back pay did not come.

And again, these are some of the hardest working, lowest paid federal contracted workers.

And these are workers who are overwhelmingly women, immigrants, and people of color, and their bills did not stop.

Rent was still due, childcare was still needed, prescriptions still had to be filled, and groceries put on the table.

We should not have a two-tiered system wherein some workers are deemed worthy of back pay while others are left behind.

That is why, during the shutdown, I reintroduced with bipartisan support the Fair Pay for Federal Contractors Act, legislation to guarantee that contract workers receive back pay after a lapse in appropriations, just as federal employees do.

My amendment today would incorporate this bill into the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act which Ranking Member Garcia and Chairman Comer are leading.

Whistleblower protections are important and paycheck protections are important.

We cannot say we value workers if we do not protect workers, all workers, both their physical safety and their economic security.

Contract workers are a critical part of the federal workforce.

They serve the people with the same dedication and professionalism as any federal employee, and they deserve the same respect.

During the shutdown, I met with contract workers who drained their savings and took on debt just to make it through.

The contract worker in my district that was already living paycheck to paycheck, and then one of those paychecks never came.

The custodian who has to choose between paying rent and paying medical bills.

The cafeteria worker in Longworth who prepares food for members of Congress and staff but didn’t have income to feed herself.

A responsible government treats its workers with respect and pays them their back pay, because fair pay isn’t just a matter of fairness.

It’s about stability. It’s about dignity. It’s about justice.

When we destabilize workers—all workers—when we destabilize them, we destabilize the agencies and services that rely on them.

I know what it is to be part of an invisible workforce doing thankless work where people see right through you.

As a former hospitality worker and unpaid congressional intern who worked three jobs, I know what it means to live paycheck to paycheck and the struggle to make ends meet, so this is deeply personal to me.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and stand with workers and the people they serve.

And to the federal contract workers who are still recovering from the harms of this shutdown, know this: I see you, I hear you, and I am still fighting for you.

Thank you, and I yield back.

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