Gaetz asks for pay to be withheld during potential shutdown
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is requesting that his pay be withheld during a potential government shutdown as the Florida Republican has remained opposed to any short-term spending agreements.
“It is my understanding that pursuant to the Constitution, members of Congress will continue to receive their pay during a lapse in appropriations. Therefore, I am requesting that in the case of a lapse of appropriations beginning at 12:00 a.m. on October 1, 2023, my pay be withheld until legislation has taken effect to end such lapse in appropriations in its entirety,” Gaetz wrote in a letter to Catherine Szpindor, House chief administrative officer.
Congress is barreling toward a possible government shutdown as House Republicans have yet to reach a consensus on government spending by the Sept. 30 deadline.
A government shutdown will leave millions of federal workers with delayed paychecks, including any of the 2 million military personnel and more than 2 million civilian federal workers. Other federal offices will also close or have disrupted services during a shutdown, including clinical trials, firearms permits and passports.
President Biden and members of Congress will continue to get paid during a shutdown, but nonessential members of their staff will be furloughed.
Gaetz, along with a handful of conservatives in the House, has opposed any sort of short-term funding measure, which is preventing Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from passing a GOP-only stopgap bill before compromising with Democrats. Gaetz has also repeatedly threatened to make a motion to vacate the chair if McCarthy does not come into “compliance” on spending and other demands.
Last week, a handful of Republicans blocked the consideration of a stopgap bill and demanded further cuts across all of the appropriations bills. Now, the House is slated to bring up a procedural vote Tuesday to advance four regular appropriations bills this week.
While these bills won’t do anything to avoid a shutdown, GOP leaders hope it can build some good with conservatives and convince them to back a GOP-only short-term funding bill later this week.
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