If you thought that the GOP’s government shutdown couldn’t get any worse, think again.

A draft memo from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget suggests that furloughed federal employees may not be guaranteed pay for their forced time off—an explosive shift likely to ignite backlash from federal workers and lawmakers alike.

Axios first broke news of the draft, which Daily Kos has not reviewed. It’s unclear how seriously the idea is being considered, but it would mark a dramatic escalation in President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against Senate Democrats—denying back pay to about 750,000 federal workers until the shutdown ends.

“This would not have happened if Democrats voted for the clean CR,” a senior administration official told Axios.

The draft memo argues that the G

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