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AP
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) earlier this month before a vote on the spending bill. The Senate, led by Boxer, has unanimously passed a stand-alone bill to prohibit members of Congress from getting a paycheck in the event of a shutdown.
From NBC's Luke Russert and Carrie Dann
With the threat of a government shutdown again rumbling on the horizon, federal workers may be looking nervously at their bank accounts.
But what about members of Congress?
The Senate, led by Democratic sponsor Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, has already unanimously passed a stand-alone bill to prohibit members of Congress from getting a paycheck in the event of a shutdown.
But that bill won’t become law unless it is passed independently by the House.
Today the House GOP said that their soon-to-be-approved budget bill (dubbed the "Prevention of Government Shutdown Act") would include the same language to eliminate paychecks for members of Congress during a shutdown.
But that budget bill – which has already been rejected by the Senate once – has virtually no chance of passing the upper chamber, meaning that the language about members' salaries will still not become law.
What’s more, GOP leaders refuse to bring the “clean” – or unattached – Senate-passed salary language up for a vote on the House floor.
(Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., introduced legislation akin to Boxer's in the House in February.)
Why?
There are a variety of reasons, but one that is mentioned constantly is that many newer members of Congress quit their jobs to run for office.
Quite frankly, they say they need the money.
As freshman Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) told constituents last week: "I guarantee most of you, I have more debt than all of you. With six kids, I still pay off my student loans. I still pay my mortgage. I drive a used minivan. If you think I'm living high off the hog, I've got one paycheck. So I struggle to meet my bills right now."
Financial disclosure data show that, generally, members of the Senate have much deeper pockets than their House colleagues. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the median estimated net worth of a member of the United States House in 2009 was about $732,000. Compare that to the median net worth for a United States senator for the same year: A bit more than $2.4 million.
Members of Congress who do not hold leadership roles make an annual salary of $174,000.
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Well, Mr. Duffy, if you can't live with in your means, or the means the Koch brothers and all those other lobbyists hand out to you, maybe you should get out of politics and file Chapter 7. Other government workers want their paycheck, as do civilian non-union workers. If they can't be paid, and be able to feed their kids and pay their rent or mortgage, you shouldn't be able to either.
And in the meantime, Wall Street still haven't paid back the billions of dollars including no jail time as the country degrades and falls apart way past the seam. Wall Street Government is now in charge; voting is futile.
Welcome to the real world. How many folks are without jobs and still have bills to pay. They keep talking about the American people. Well this is what the American people are going through. See how it feels. If they want to shut down the government, then there is absolutely no reason for them to get paid AND get health insurance benefits as well. Talk about being out of touch, and then make excuses for it as it THEY are the only ones that suffer. Several million people have been suffering for quite some time. Oh wait, those folks are just lazy and stupid.
Is it not the responsibility of the House regarding the budget, and then pass it to the Senate. Seems to me the House knows what the Senate will and will not go for. So instead of playing one upmanship, how about some common sense. Surely there are ways to cut spending - redundancies in agencies for example- without this nonsense of cutting Planned Parenthood and NPR and such. Quit blaming the Senate because you are not doing your jobs.
Grow up and join the rest of us in the real world.
Wow...there 'ya go. Show us such a great example will 'ya.
Telling us to take a pay-cut, or give up our bargaining rights, or someother such thing for the good of the country.
Well done. Well spoken. Oh well...
You guys are so cool. Can I hang out with you? @_@
This is why every state has to institute a mandatory term limit of 2 in a lifetime for these "BUMS" ! And no retirements... and a salary drop to 35 K and never to exceed 40 K EVER !!!! and no benefits no retirements EVER for the senate or congress positions !
Are you crazy man?!? Such behavior might end up fixing the deficit and balancing the budget! If they do that then what can they blame the other side for? Insanity, I say! No sir! Instead they need to bump up pay to $200,000 a year so they can stop living in such destitution and get rid of ridiculous spending like education.
And term limits...why...that would mean they'd actually have to do their jobs instead of spending their entire term trying to get re-elected. America doesn't have time for foolish ideas like yours sir. How are the wealthy supposed to survive?!?
Derek....I truly believe in term limits; however, if you lower their salary to $40,000, there won't be ANYONE willing to take the job (unhappily, I have to say that). Some of these people in Congress or the Senate can make more money as a CEO of a big company than what they are making being politicians, but the benefits are AWESOME, plus all that BIG money they get from their lobbyists and big business. If they can't live on that, plus their $174,000 salary, they need to go back to college and take a finance class!
VOTE!!!
At least we can get rid of this last pack of whack doodles who always rob from the American worker to give to the multi-nationals (that apparently pay no tax's).
.....the worker that pays 26% in tax's btw while the millionair pays on average 17%.
2012 could be a VERY interesting year indeed!
So in other words, repugnicans refuse to take the same kind of furlough that they will be imposing on the Federal Workers if they do not accomplish their task. Now who are the freeloaders????
If the government shuts down, all of the federal "workers" will get their full backpay for the days that they worked, as well as for the days that they didn't work.
I sure wish I could get a cushy job like that, where I get paid for the "extra vacation" days.
As a RN working for the Department of Veterans Affairs, I will be required to work as scheduled during the shutdown or lose my job. Yes, I will eventually receive back pay, but it will only be for my scheduled 80 hours per pay period and not a minute more. None of us will receive a dime for time that we don't work. Also, our back pay will be paid in one lump sum added to our gross income for a pay period following the shutdown and we will be taxed on the full amount as if it was earned in one pay period.
Sen. Boxer's bill is unconstitutional. S. 388 would curtail congressional pay during a shutdown and would prohibit payment at a later date. In other words, it would decrease congressional pay by whatever amount would otherwise have been payable during the shutdown. The 27th Amendment prohibits varying congressional pay during the terms of the incumbent congress members.
"many newer members of Congress quit their jobs to run for office."
they CHOSE to run for congress. if the government shuts down and workers aren't paid, what choice will those workers have?
congress makes me sick to my stomach sometimes.
...just "sometimes"? I think they're stuck in continuous nausea mode.
What a joke. Hell would freeze over before our fearless leaders give up a dime. These boys and girls have no shame.
Really, this makes me sick. Last year we had to take 4 furlough days (leave without pay) in order to save money. I barely make $30,000 a year. That's just a drop in the bucket to these people. If government shuts down, then they need to take leave without pay just like the rest of us. I'm sure it won't hurt them to stay at home and eat a pbj every now and then. Who the hell do these people think they are anyway and how do they think they got to that position in the first damn place?
The Tea Baggers and BIG Business put them into that position....that's how they got there!!
I like what is being said here, in the article. no way people should be paid if the government shuts down. I work for the state government, and if we shut down, I DONT GET PAID. I have a mortgage, family, used car, etc. And I QUIT MY OTHER JOB TO TAKE THIS ONE. Lets face it, if you are lucky enough to still have a job, you likely only have one. So, try again before trying to justify your getting paid if the government shuts down...
Same here Isaiah and I'm getting sick of it, especially when we also haven't had a raise in over 3 years.
Anyone with six kids is an idiot - period!
.....as in Shameless (Showtime)?
Rob-2879016 You might be in uniform, but you are in A-- There are those on Social Security, either regular or disabiltiy that served in UNIFORM for twenty or more years. If you don't think we deserve to be paid, then you are no better than the want to be emporers in the House. Why don't you ask your Republican friends to RESCIND all the spending bills they PASSED by RECONCILIATION (now a dirty word to that group) between 2002 and 2006. How about just rescinding the one's that only were approved after that noted draft-dodger Dick Cheney, gave the tie breaking vote?
Chuck, relax I befriend no man or woman that hasnot served. and secondly you can smell the sarcasim of impathy I have for those moles. Drink coffee and reread if you must.
No member of congress should get paid if the government shuts down. Not one red cent.....
How to grow jobs, energy, the economy, remain competitive, and eliminate the deficit:
1. Legislatively remove the anti-trust exemption for insurance, The McCarran-Ferguson Act.
2.. Legislatively restrict the wetlands definition of "navigable waters of the United States" in the Clean Water Act.
3. Fund and begin construction of power generation and water supply projects necessary to meet future population and industrial demands.
4. Remove all geographic restrictions on oil and natural gas drilling, and use the power of federal money transfers to the States to prevent States and local governments from interfering with drilling.
5.. Remove environmental restrictions and environmental and social impact requirements for all infrastructure and utility construction for the next 10 years.
6.Cut Federal budget by 10% excluding defense, starting with those duplicative items identified in the 3/1/11 GAO report and Presidents Debt Commission, however, maintain current spending for infrastructure construction, repair and upgrade for the next 5 years. Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act.
7. Reduce corporate tax rates by 50%. Reduce Corporate tax rates by 70% on private utilities and transport companies.
8. Reinstitute significant tax and assistance payments for residential and commercial alternative energy instillations, particularly focusing on residential solar. Use Commerce Clause to force all electrical utilities to be reverse metering.
9. Subsidies the further development of electric and hybrid electric cars. Provide significant tax breaks and incentives for the purchase of same, particularly when combined with the purchase of a residential solar instillation within two years of one another. This is no longer a simple market issue, but one of national security as the time to substitution is longer than the economy can withstand when confronted with a supply side shock
10. Eliminate the Ethanol subsidy for any and all processes using foodstuffs. Redirect monies to nuclear and coal. Streamline regulation of new construction of nuclear power plants and provide incentives for same. Open Yucca Mountain as originally agreed.
11. Eliminate any power of the EPA to regulate Carbon.
12. Use the power of the Federal purse to eviscerate Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005) and Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 535 U.S. 302 (2002),
13. Repeal the Community Reinvestment Act.
14. Hold congressional investigations into the roll of the Community Reinvestment Act, Freddie and Fannie in inflating demand and thus prices resulting in the collapse of the real estate market.
15. Build a wall embedded with sensors and toped with razor wire along both our borders, beginning with the southern one. In the name of national security remove all environmental restrictions and environmental and social impact requirements for the construction of same.
16 Pass legislation that all jurisdictions receiving federal monies of any sort are required to enforce all of the laws of the land, including enforcement of federal immigration laws.
17. Restrict the collective bargaining power of State civil service unions in line with the 1978 Federal Civil Service Reform Act
18. Scrap the tax code and adopt a flat-tax that will build the size of the pie (and thus tax revenues) for everyone instead of the Obama class warfare of trying to redistribute a shrinking one.
19. Revisit New York Times v. Sullivan and remove the "actual malice" requirement to improve the quality, objectivity and accuracy of media reporting,
Add throwing out "corporate personhood," eliminating lobbying, and establishing term limits for Congress, Senate and Supreme Court.
And.....line item vetoes. If the President can go through the budget line by line and veto items that will end up costing us money or are duplicitious, that might save a few bucks too. There are TOO many commissions, offices, etc. that do the same jobs. We need to go over EACH of these and either get rid of them or combine them into one. This is what we're wasting money on....committees, commissions, etc. that do the same jobs!!
It looks like all here agree that Congress should forego any pay so long as they are shut down. But I have to wonder if any of them even read these posts. Perhaps it is time for bloggers, and all Americans to speak out in many voices what we feel about this. Seems the republicans want to push to many cuts without thought, the Democrats are loath to make more concessions. They bicker and argue without respect to what really matters to this country and that is a government that uses thought and care in deciding what to cut and how much to cut in a budget that has ballooned beyond what any country needs to spend.
Are you tired of both the leading parties failing to understand? Failing to examine and deal with the extra expenditures that government wasn't meant to deal with? We perhaps need to make a list of what we want them to do... We pay into our country for military protection, infrastructure, disaster relief, and a separate tax for our elderly and infirm. If you can add to that list then please do. Perhaps if we can decide what we would have our tax dollars pay for then maybe it will lead them to a better understanding of what we expect.
As for now they should not be expecting to be paid for lack of doing their jobs.
You meant three households. You forgot Duffy's "cabin" in Iron River WI. Must be a pretty shabby place, since the loan value is between $100K and $250K.
Poor baby. I feel for him.
PS - @cyndeem - Don't forget, he's a Republican; he didn't "choose" to have six kids.
You've got to be kidding me. What incentive do they have to make a budget work if they get paid when the government shuts down? I'm guessing all other government workers won't get paid...what about them? They need the pay check too, but congress certainly doesn't seem to care about that.
If you can't make ends meet with 175,000 per year it is no wonder the countries' budget is out of control.
If the government shuts down, each member of the House and Senate should not get paid and made to pay a $1000.00 per day penalty for each day it is. It's high time "We the People" get a break from the G.O.P & Demo. crap, and make them pay out of there own pockets. As it is there not worth what we pay them now. Remember this in 2012, and get rid of all of them. Both Republican and Democrats! Then we can start all over.
Please see my earlier post -- even if we vote every one of them out....we're still going to get a bunch of the same! No "average" person can run for office unless they have BIG BUSINESS footing the campaign bill. As I mentioned before, we ought to outlaw lobbyist and campaign funds from outside sources and set up a campaign fund for EACH candidate for the EXACT same amount of money. Let them work within that budget to do their campaigning with NO outside motivation. THEN, and ONLY then can we be assured that we MIGHT get some honest politicians voted in. As long as BIG BUSINESS and the lobbyists can "buy" the candidate...we can't EVER hope to see any change even if we voted them all out and started over again!!!
If the party of no continues this nonsense, then everyone else gets paid and they do without.Or thats the way it should be! After all they want to shut down the gov., just to get their own way...just like spolied children!
Bet the voters don't make the same foolish mistakes they made in recent mid-term elections. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me!
BarbaraBursell, The Republicans are just as bad with their attitudes of slash and cut without thought.. They know that if they look like they are doing what they think americans want it will make them look good. Face it both parties are not doing the right thing.
I've been working since I was 14...(47 years now) and I've never made 174,000 a year...I'm luckier than a lot of folks out there 'cause I have a job that pays good as long as I work OT (which amounts to 65 hour weeks)...and I still won't be able to retire. These folks in office need a taste of reality and real world life if ya ask me!!!!
If a Democrat complained like Sen Duffy, you can bet Republicans would say "If you can't afford 6 kids you shouldn't have had them." I don't feel sorry for him. I do feel sorry for his kids who have a selfish, self-absorbed, heartless father.
Go USA - Go Away!