Kennedy pushes plan to halt Congress pay during government shutdown
FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator wants to stop members of Congress from receiving paychecks as federal workers go without pay during the ongoing government shutdown.As the shutdown enters its...
By Fox News · Fox News
FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator wants to stop members of Congress from receiving paychecks as federal workers go without pay during the ongoing government shutdown . As the shutdown enters its 35th day, federal employees, air traffic controllers and other employees have either missed paychecks or received only partial pay. Members of Congress , however, are constitutionally required to get a paycheck, even if the government is closed. Some lawmakers have said that they would forego a paycheck, while others have introduced legislation to prevent their colleagues from getting paid. SENATE REPUBLICANS PLOT LONGER-TERM FUNDING BILL AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CONTINUES Sen. John Kennedy , R-La., jumped into that arena and has two bills that would both halt lawmakers from getting paid as the shutdown continues and deal with the constitutional issue. "I don’t see missing paychecks or empty dinner plates as leverage or bargaining chips," Kennedy said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "My bills ensure Congress feels the same pain as the folks we’re failing to pay — our troops, air traffic controllers, and federal workers. If we can’t do our jobs and fund the government, we don’t deserve a paycheck — plain and simple." One of the bills, the "No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act," would see lawmakers go without pay for every day that a shutdown is underway. Members of Congress on average make $174,000 a year. That number can fluctuate depending on whether a lawmaker is in a leadership position. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SPARKS GOP PLAN TO PENALIZE LAWMAKERS WITH NEW SALARY TAX Kennedy’s desire to see that lawmakers don’t get paid runs into the Constitution , however. Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution requires 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." Then there is the 27th Amendment, ratified in 1992, which prevents Congress from passing a law affectin…