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Did Donald Trump NOT pay former appointees? Ex-employees say: ‘How do I pay rent? How do I pay cellphone bill?’

In the aftermath of the Capitol Riots as well as in the spectrum of a Democratic government in Washington DC, Trump appointees find themselves in quite a fix

It has come to light that a number of former political appointees of ex-President Donald Trump are still awaiting their sizeable vacation payouts, while many others are struggling to find new jobs with Trump's name attached to their resume.

Although certain glitches or delays in the human resources processes are expected during a government transition, political aides who served under Trump are still in the dark about when they would receive their pending payments or land another job. Reportedly, some of the former employees are even struggling to pay rent without the prospect of new jobs, while many are awaiting the paperwork to file for unemployment benefits, reveals Politico. 

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Did Trump really not pay his former appointees?

Many of Trump's political appointees during his presidency admit to not receiving their vacation payouts, or even payout for annual leave balance. One former Homeland security official told Politico that she is still waiting for her annual leave payout of over 200 hours or nearly three months of pay. Another senior DHS official who had worked under Trump complained about not receiving his one month of vacation payout - that is estimated at a whopping sum of $15,000 minus taxes. 

Some former employees are even facing a disparity in the extension of their health insurance benefits. The general norm for former appointees of the previous government is a temporary extension of health insurance through COBRA for a 31-day grace period. However, it turns out that the Trump administration has not handed out the proper forms to their appointees to apply for COBRA. In fact, when one such former official went to the doctor recently, the healthcare office failed to find any trace of his insurance. 

"Am I going to lose health care for the time that the processing center would take to get our information into the system?" many are asking now, reports Politico. 

Though the transition between governments often tends to cause a delay in giving out the pending payouts of former employees, it seems that the time is indefinite in the case of former Trump appointees. Two former political appointees from the Obama administration informed Politico that their vacation payouts or separation packets were not significantly delayed, causing no financial trouble for them. 

Aside from the vacation payouts, many appointees are yet to get their separation packets with the SF-50 document which will let them apply for unemployment benefits. 

While a handful of Trump's appointees have just started to get their payouts, a majority of them are still in the dark about how much longer it might take. “I don’t understand how it’s taking so long to figure out how much comp time you have and how much you’re owed and why that isn’t falling directly into my account,” said one frustrated former Trump employee.

It is unclear whether the undue delay this time has something to do with the pandemic-related complications.

Why are Trump appointees not finding work?

In the aftermath of the horrific Capitol Riots of January 6, 2021, as well as in the spectrum of a Democratic government in Washington DC, Trump appointees find themselves in quite a fix while trying to find work. 

In a largely Democratic environment in DC at present, Donald Trump's name as the former employer on a resume is not being considered much desirable. Firms are reluctant to hire former Trump appointees in political positions. Meanwhile, the financial struggles of these workers are only aggravating day by day.

“I’m sitting here going, how do I pay my rent? How do I pay my cellphone bill?” asked one Trump appointee, while another elaborated that they desperately need the vacation payout as rent is not cheap in D.C. and they are currently unemployed. 

One Twitter user slammed the Trump administration for the ordeal, "It's almost like they're ordinary Americans suffering job loss, grim prospects, & pending ruin & NONE OF THEIR @GOP pals give a shit. Just imagine!" Another user did not hold out either, "Former QAnon Trump appointees can't land a job with his racist name on their resume #SmartNews". "Parental leave does not come with pay. Why would the new administration hold a job for a Trump appointee??" argued another user.