Washington, DC – Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) joined Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) in introducing the Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act. This legislation prohibits members of Congress from collecting pay during the ongoing federal shutdown and deducts pay from members’ paychecks during future shutdowns. Steil has requested his pay be withheld during the ongoing federal shutdown.
“There is no reason our government should be shut down. If service members, men and women of federal law enforcement, and other essential employees are working without pay during the shutdown, members of Congress should not be paid either,” said Steil. “I’ve had my pay withheld and believe every member of Congress should do the same. This legislation ensures that members of Congress are not collecting pay during the ongoing shutdown and are treated the same as every other federal employee.”
Background:
The Constitution and federal statute stipulate that Members are “entitled to receive” their salary at the end of each month. This includes during a government shutdown.
While Congressman Steil continues to work in D.C. and in his district, he has requested his pay be withheld for the duration of the shutdown.
The Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act prohibits members of the 119th Congress from collecting a paycheck during the ongoing shutdown. This ensures that members of Congress see the same impact on their pay as every other federal employee during a government shutdown.
Beginning in the 120th Congress, the bill also penalizes lawmakers for each day the government is shutdown; directly deducting pay from members’ paychecks for each day the government is not funded.
On September 19, House Republicans passed a clean continuing resolution to keep the government funded. All but one Democrat in the U.S. House voted against the clean continuing resolution, many of whom have opted to continue receiving their paycheck.
Nearly every Democrat in the U.S. Senate voted 13 times against the continuing resolution, causing the ongoing shutdown.
As a result of the shutdown, members of the military, federal law enforcement, and federal employees may not receive pay until the government reopens.
