Democrats block Kennedy resolution to withhold senators’ pay during government shutdowns
Republican U.S. Senator John Kennedy is seeking to pass a resolution that says senators would not get paid during government shutdowns. Kennedy brought the resolution up on the Senate floor on Sunday as Department of Homeland Security employees are currently not getting paid. Kennedy says it’s about shared sacrifice.
“This is about sending a message to our colleagues at TSA and elsewhere in DHS, that we understand; that we’re trying to get government back open. But in the meantime, we’re going to try, in our small way, to share your experience,” Kennedy said.
The resolution needs unanimous consent from the Senate. But Democratic Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz objected to Kennedy’s unanimous consent request and immediately left the chamber, which stunned Kennedy.
“I want to give my Senator, my colleague, Senator Schatz, more time, as he objected and left the chamber. Is he’s coming back? Is he ill?” Kennedy asked.
The Senate parliamentarian told Kennedy that Senator Schatz did not need to be recognized to block the resolution from passing through unanimous consent. Kennedy says he plans to bring this resolution up for a vote again and if a Senator objects, they should explain their reasoning.
“If a member of this body disagrees with what I’m doing, then, by God, they ought to come down here and stand up in front of the United States Senate and stand up in front of the American people,” Kennedy said.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed in The Hill arguing that members of Congress should not get paid during government shutdowns. Kennedy calls on the Senate to vote on his resolution to prevent Senators from collecting their paychecks during future shutdowns.
Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
“The fact that politicians can use other people’s paychecks as a political football without sacrificing their own salary makes most fair-minded Americans want to stick their heads in an oven. Most Americans believe what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. If federal workers aren’t getting paid, members of Congress shouldn’t get paid either.”
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“I don’t judge my colleagues for objecting to this type of legislation. It’s tough missing a paycheck. But it was also tough for the American people to watch my colleagues vote 15 times in a row to keep the government closed.
“I am proud that my resolution received unanimous, bipartisan support in the Senate Rules Committee. I hope the full Senate will join us in ensuring that politicians aren’t the only ones getting paid during a government shutdown.”
