Written By Lexx Thornton
The current government shutdown began after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement on a stopgap spending bill, coming at a time of political friction over healthcare spending and President Donald Trump’s actions. The deadlock has resulted in hundreds of thousands of federal workers being indefinitely furloughed or required to work without immediate paychecks.Â
Under the Constitution, however, Congress and the President continue to receive their salaries regardless of a shutdown. House members and senators have been paid an annual salary of $174,000 since 2009, with leadership roles receiving additional compensation. The President’s annual salary is $400,000, though President Trump and some other wealthy presidents have a history of donating their paychecks to various government agencies or causes, such as the White House Historical Association for renovations.Â
In Pennsylvania, home to more than 100,000 federal workers, at least 10 members of the congressional delegation have formally asked to have their salaries withheld.Â
US Representative Chris Deluzio, a Democrat from Pittsburgh, was among the first to voice the sentiment. He wrote on social media, “The way I see it, if our troops and others get screwed over by this Republican shutdown and miss paychecks, members of Congress should too.”Â
After the shutdown went into effect Wednesday, Deluzio formally wrote to the House’s chief administrative officer, Catherine Szpindor, requesting his pay be withheld “until an appropriations agreement has taken effect.”Â
Other Pennsylvania representatives making the same request include: Dan Meuser, John Joyce, Scott Perry, Brian Fitzpatrick, Dwight Evans, Mary Gay Scanlon, Rob Bresnahan, Chrissy Houlahan, and Lloyd Smucker. Senator Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, has also done likewise, arguing it is wrong for members of Congress and the President to receive salaries while public servants and military members await payment.Â
The calls for withheld pay have renewed interest in legislative efforts designed to automatically block congressional compensation during a funding lapse.Â
Representative Deluzio and several other lawmakers nationwide are urging support for the “No Pay for Congress During Default or Shutdown Act.” Deluzio stated the bill is a serious effort drafted to comply with the Constitution’s 27th Amendment, which governs changes to congressional pay.Â
The bill was initially proposed by Representative Eugene Vindman, a Democrat from Virginia, during a near-shutdown in March. Deluzio became a sponsor recently, while Representatives Fitzpatrick and Bresnahan signed onto the legislation earlier this year.Â
Separately, there is a Republican effort led by Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina, who is calling for a constitutional amendment that would “prohibit Members of Congress from receiving compensation for any period during which a government shutdown is in effect.”Â
While federal workers will receive back pay once the shutdown ends under a 2019 law, most in Pennsylvania and across the country are currently working without pay or are furloughed indefinitely.Â
