Squabbling members of Congress made $20K each during record-long shutdown
Lawmakers in Washington, DC, received over $20,000 each from American taxpayers during the longest US government shutdown in history, as per official data reviewed by The Post.
President Donald Trump ended the record 43-day closure with a stroke of a pen on Wednesday night after moderate Dems joined Republicans to end the standoff that cost the economy an estimated $15 billion per week, according to the White House.
During the shutdown, members of Congress collectively received over $10 million while food stamp aid was reduced, travel chaos ensued, and over 1 million federal workers went without pay.
Trump’s economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, mentioned that 60,000 private sector jobs were lost due to the economic impact of the shutdown.
Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez advocated for continuing the standoff, criticizing the Democratic Senators and an independent who worked with Republicans to reopen the government for not securing enough concessions on healthcare funding.
She expressed her disagreement with the outcome and questioned her support for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Members of Congress were able to receive their $174,000 annual salary while federal workers, including their staff and senior Trump administration officials, went without pay for over a month.
On average, members of Congress earn about $476.71 per day before taxes.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had the highest annual salary on the Hill at $223,500, translating to over $26,330 during the shutdown.
The president pro tempore of the Senate and the majority and minority leaders in both chambers have a $193,400 annual salary, equaling about $530 per day. Schumer’s office stated that he did not take a salary during the shutdown.
Senators who refused their paychecks included Sen. Ed Markey, who blocked a bill that sought to halt lawmakers’ paychecks during the shutdown.
Some lawmakers, like Sen. Lindsey Graham, pledged to donate their pay to charity while the government was closed.
The funding for lawmakers’ pay is guaranteed by the Constitution, and unlike other government spending, it does not need annual renewal.
The Bipartisan Policy Center estimates that around 670,000 federal employees were furloughed, and 730,000 continued to work without pay.
Around 1.3 million active-duty military personnel and over 750,000 National Guard and reserve personnel were also impacted by the shutdown.
Federal employees who had their salaries frozen will receive back pay following Trump’s order to reopen the government.
Joe Grogan, a former official in the Office of Management and Budget during Trump’s first term, criticized Democratic lawmakers for their actions during the funding dispute, accusing them of hypocrisy.
He suggested that perhaps Democrats would have approached the shutdown differently if they had experienced the same challenges faced by ordinary Americans impacted by the shutdown.
He emphasized the importance of lawmakers serving the people rather than ruling over them like kings.
