Having worked in politics for 15 years, nothing really surprises me anymore. But there are those times, like this one, when I must shake my head in disbelief.

According to a USA Today story, “Some fortunate federal employees will likely get paid twice for not working this month. Several states are expected to allow federal workers who collected unemployment insurance during the government shutdown to keep both those benefits and the back pay they’re set to receive, according to the Labor Department.”

If every federal employee received a paycheck for all time worked and for all the furloughed days, why aren’t those who collected unemployment required to pay it back? Basically, these employees are being paid twice, while there are those who struggle to get by on one paycheck.

5,700 federal workers in Oregon alone received a week of unemployment benefits totaling $680,000. Because of a legal loophole in Oregon state law, these employees get to keep both their paycheck and unemployment check, money that could have been spent on truly unemployed or needy Americans.

Luckily, some states and the District of Columbia require the recipients to repay their unemployment benefits upon being paid by their employer. This seems more than reasonable, and such laws should be adopted in all 50 states. Our benefits systems are strained as is, and should be reserved for those who need them most.