The government shut down at midnight Wednesday after lawmakers couldn’t agree on a continuing funding resolution. As many as 750,000 federal employees may be furloughed, and even those deemed too essential to send home will not be paid until the budget standoff is resolved.
In the hours after the shutdown began, many members of Congress announced that they, too, would forgo a paycheck until it’s over.
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That’s strictly voluntary. The Constitution’s Article 1, Section 6 states that “Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.” What this means is that they get paid regardless of whether other parts of the government are funded.
So, which lawmakers have asked for their pay to be withheld?
Despite what the Constitution says, Straight Arrow News found at least 19 lawmakers asking for their pay to be withheld.
Most members of Congress earn $174,000 annually; congressional leaders, such as the House speaker, earn more.
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Most members of Congress earn $174,000 annually, a rate set back in 2009.
In the past, lawmakers have tried to pass bills that would prevent lawmakers from being paid during shutdowns, in hopes that it might give them more incentive to avoid shutting down. However, all attempts have failed.
The president, whose salary is set by law at $400,000 a year, is also paid during shutdowns. This is because the Constitution prohibits reducing the president’s salary while in office, guaranteeing pay regardless of any shutdown action. (President Donald Trump has said he donates his salary back to the federal government.) Presidential aides and White House staffers do not get paid during shutdowns, however, and are subject to furlough requirements.
Why did the government shut down?
On Tuesday night, and again on Wednesday, senators were unable to agree on a stopgap bill that would continue funding the government. The core issue of the debate was on health care funding, specifically whether to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies.
Democrats insisted that those subsidies be included in the bill, along with the restoration of recent Medicaid cuts. Republicans refused and proposed a seven-week stopgap measure that would have funded the government until Nov. 21, allowing for further negotiations.
Is your congressional representative asking not to be paid? Please let us know here.
