More Than 100 Members Of Congress Reject Pay During Shutdown
(CBS Detroit/CNN) -- As federal employees brace themselves for their second missed paycheck should the government not reopen in time to make payroll by Tuesday, some members of Congress have decided to join them in a show of solidarity and refuse their paychecks.
So far, 102 members of Congress say they will turn down their paychecks during the partial government shutdown, according to social media posts and statements reviewed by CNN. That comprises 20 senators and 82 representatives, with members from both parties making up a similar proportion of those going without pay. Twenty-four representatives and two new senatorspassing on pay are newly elected and were sworn in this year.
While most have asked House Chief Administrative Officer Phil Kiko or Senate financial officials to withhold their pay, others say they plan to donate it to particular charities or causes.
Among them is Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat who tweeted on New Year's Day -- the day after she announced she would explore a 2020 presidential run -- that she would be donating her paycheck to HIAS, a nonprofit that helps refugees.
Several members of Congress have also pushed legislation that would penalize members for allowing a shutdown to occur. Rep. Kurt Schrader, an Oregon Democrat, introduced a bill in 2017 that would automatically dock members' pay during government shutdowns, and Rep. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican, introduced a constitutional amendment the day before the government shut down that would ban them from being paid.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, one of seven House Republicans who voted to reopen the federal government, urged all members to join him in declining his paycheck.
"Everybody ought to follow the lead that several of us have already set: Don't get paid," he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer earlier this month. "If you're in Congress, don't just delay your pay -- forfeit it, write a check back to the US Treasury. Then you'll feel the pain of these federal workers."
Here are the members of Congress in Michigan who won't receive their paychecks during the shutdown:
Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Michigan)
Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Michigan)
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (new, D-Michigan)
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Michigan)
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