Congress has voted to ensure thousands of federal employees who aren’t getting paid Friday will get their money back when the government shutdown ends.

By a 411-7 vote, the House approved the measure to reassure those workers, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., indicated President Donald Trump supports.

The Senate passed this bill unanimously Thursday.

But U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was among the handful of House members who voted against guaranteeing those furloughed workers get paid.

The five other members of Kentucky's congressional delegation — Republicans James Comer, Brett Guthrie, Hal Rogers and Andy Barr and Democrat John Yarmuth — voted in favor of the legislation.

"I don’t believe anyone should be required to work without pay and I would have voted to pay all of those affected by this current shutdown," Massie said in an emailed statement to the Courier Journal.

In previous shutdowns, Congress has quickly approved legislation to provide back pay after the government reopened.

But Massie said his objections to this bill were because it guarantees payment for employees affected by any future closures. He said that would "only make it easier for politicians to cause future shutdowns. This is irresponsible and I want to prevent future shutdowns from happening."

Column:Kentucky lawmakers should give up their pay during government shutdown

Those representing federal workers in the region took offense with Massie's vote, however.

"It is completely despicable that he would vote against that measure to grant back pay to the federal employees affected by the shutdown," said Victoria Martin, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1438, which represents most of the roughly 1,700 U.S. Census Bureau workers in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Rogers, a Republican, is Kentucky's longest serving member of Congress who represents the bulk of the eastern half of the state. He said in a statement Friday how the legislation sends a signal to those employees that their hardships aren't being forgotten.

"It is my hope that this bill will at least provide some certainty to federal workers ensuring a full paycheck is eventually coming," Rogers said.

"We need to reopen the government, pay our faithful employees who are now struggling to make ends meet, and get back to the business of serving the American people," he added.

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Martin said the back pay bill is a good sign for her members and other workers but that it would be better for them if the shutdown ended. She said she is unfamiliar with Massie's record but that there is no good reason to oppose the idea.

"I'm sure he may have some logic, but I and my members would be interested in hearing it," Martin said. "But I think it's unacceptable that he would vote against paying non-partisan federal employees when they're pawns of a partisan fight."

Massie is known nationally for his libertarian-leaning views. He is seen by many as the ideological heir of former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, an anti-government legislator and father of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Massie, who represents Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District stretching from Ashland to eastern Louisville, is often among a minority of House members who vote against big government expenditures, such as disaster relief funding, no matter the context.

Dozens of frustrated federal employees rallied outside McConnell's office in downtown Louisville this week to voice their anger over their frozen paychecks. They waved signs with slogans like "We Want to Work" and "End the Shutdown Now" as passing cars honked in solidarity.

From Thursday:Federal workers protest government shutdown at McConnell's office

Many have told stories of having to dip into their savings to make ends meet or cover other important costs, such as health care. Among those protesting were Kristy Demas, a U.S. Census Bureau worker who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Demas said she gets health insurance through her job, but that she pays out of pocket to cover prescriptions, co-pays and related expenses. "I was already in the hole on the last paycheck, so now it’s even worse," she said.

Lawmakers are still being paid during the shutdown, and according to personal financial disclosure forms, Massie reported having between $502,003 and $4.8 million.

The partial shutdown is impacting nine departments, several smaller agencies and roughly 800,000 federal workers across the nation. This one is now poised to break the record for the longest in the country's history with Trump and Democrats at a stalemate.

Trump wants $5.7 billion for his proposed border wall, but Democrats have refused to pour in more than the $1.3 billion for fencing and other security measures.

Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courierjournal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/philb.