GOP lawmaker breezes right past pushback to shame federal workers over shutdown 'vacation'

A Republican lawmaker breezed through a challenge from CNN's Erica Hill after he suggested federal workers were playing "political games" with their own jobs.

Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) appeared Wednesday on "CNN This Morning," hours into a federal government shutdown after Congress was unable to reach an agreement on a funding bill to carry into the the start of this fiscal year. The lawmaker said federal workers could blunt the impact by continuing to show up for work.

"I think where we're atright now is, you know, therules currently, folks who we furloughed will still get paidwhen they come back," Haridopolos said. "That is thecurrent rule.

"So they'reliterally, some people crassly would say they're getting a paid vacation. They're goinghome knowing full well when thisgovernment opens back up,they're getting paid. I thinkthat, as a military person, like,my son is in the Air Force, thatthe common-sense thing is, ifyou're in public service, youshould know that, in thesepolitical times, you should showup to work, because that's thegoal. We're all paying for thisone way or the other. Let's havepeople at work and not playthese political games. It's whatwe did in Florida."

Hill was dubious of the congressman's explanation and challenged his point.

"It's not the workers playingthe political games," she said, "to yourpoint, right?"

Haridopolos brushed right past her challenge.

"That's why I thinkwe should change the rules," he said. "Ithink if you're a federalworker, you should show up to work knowing full well when thegovernment opens back up you'regoing to get paid. That's thegive-and-take. They're verygenerous federal benefits versusa lot of people in the privatesector.

"They should recognize when you're a federal worker that when they have thesepolitical events happening, thatthey know they're going to bepaid on the back side, andthat's what's happening. You know the rules."

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