WASHINGTON Republican lawmakers didnt like a back pay scheme for federal contract workers who missed paychecks during the government shutdown , so it was left out of a broader deal on spending and border security.

A budget deal struck late Wednesday will fund government operations through September, but it wont pay for a border wall that President Donald Trump had promised to build, and it wont help contract workers. If approved, the deal will prevent another government shutdown at the end of the week.

Lawmakers already approved back pay for the 800,000 federal employees who missed wages during the 35-day partial shutdown that ended last month, but left out the unpaid workers who are employed by federal contractors.

Democrats , led by Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), have been pushing legislation that would allow federal agencies to reimburse contractors that pay workers who missed checks during the shutdown especially low-wage janitors and security guards at federal buildings here in Washington.

Two Republicans Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) have co-sponsored Smiths bill, but Republican leaders arent going along.

I dont think we should at this moment let it get in the way of funding the government on Friday, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of the Senate GOP leadership team, told HuffPost on Wednesday.

A Trump administration official familiar with the legislation said that the process of implementing the proposal alone could cost as much as the actual payments to contract workers and that there would be a high risk of erroneous payments and fraud.