Dem bill would withhold lawmaker pay if DHS shuts down [View all]

[babylonsister]

February 25, 2015, 02:11 pm
Dem bill would withhold lawmaker pay if DHS shuts down

By Cristina Marcos


Democratic legislation unveiled in the House would withhold lawmakers' pay if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shuts down on Saturday.

Rep. Brad Ashford (D-Neb.), the bill's sponsor, said members of Congress should go without pay if they miss the deadline for DHS funding.

"All across the country, folks live by the idea that if you don't do your job, you shouldn't get paid," Ashford said in a statement. "The same should hold true for members of Congress, and this bill simply codifies that belief."

Nearly 90 percent of DHS employees would have to work without pay in a shutdown, while another 30,000 workers would be furloughed.

Ashford and all of the other three co-sponsors of the bill represent swing districts. Democratic Reps. Gwen Graham (Fla.), Scott Peters (Calif.) and Ami Bera (Calif.) all faced tough races in 2014 and likely will again next year.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/233828-dems-offer-bill-withholding-lawmaker-pay-in-dhs-shutdown