Some CT members of Congress forgo pay as government shutdown enters third week
As the government shutdown stretches into its third week, several U.S. senators and representatives are choosing to forgo their paychecks until the standoff in Washington is resolved.
Rep. John Larson said lawmakers shouldn’t be exempt from the financial strain many federal workers are facing.
“It shouldn’t be the case if people are asked to suffer in general, that members who are there and responsible for the decision shouldn’t bear a similar kind of burden,” Larson said.
The decision by some members of Congress to have their pay withheld is largely symbolic, meant to show solidarity with the thousands of federal employees who are currently working without pay or furloughed during the shutdown. But it also sends a clear message about the seriousness of the ongoing impasse.
In response, Larson has introduced a bill that would ensure federal workers continue to receive pay during any future shutdowns, while blocking members of Congress and the executive branch from collecting their salaries during that same period.
“Why should it be that the very people that are holding out while other rank and file workers who have little to do with nothing with the decision making that will either continue to have government closed or open up, receive, pay at their expense?” Larson asked.
Other Connecticut lawmakers are following suit: Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Rep. Joe Courtney have both requested their pay be withheld for the duration of the shutdown. Courtney said he has done so during every government shutdown since first being elected.
“If our hardworking service members and federal employees don’t get paid during this unnecessary government shutdown, neither will I,” Courtney said in a statement.
Rep. Jim Himes has chosen a different path. His spokesperson, Sean O’Neil, said Himes plans to donate his salary.
“The Congressman is planning to donate his salary if we are still shutdown at the start of the next pay period,” O’Neil said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal echoed the same sentiment in a statement.
“I will be donating my pay to charity for as long as the shutdown lasts,” Blumenthal said.
For now, there’s no immediate end in sight to the government shutdown. Lawmakers said they hope to reach an agreement soon, but until then, many are making a point to stand with the federal workers affected by the stalemate.
“Whether you're Democrat, Republican or unaffiliated, people want to see their nation working and governing together, and that should be the end,” Larson said.
Under the 27th Amendment, congressional pay is constitutionally protected, meaning that even during a shutdown, members of Congress continue to receive their salaries.