Several NJ Congress Members Will Refuse Paychecks If Government Shuts Down (UPDATED)

This article was updated at 8 p.m. on Sept. 30

Both U.S. senators from New Jersey say they will refuse their paychecks if the federal government shuts down this week.

On Tuesday – with less than 24 hours remaining until a potential shutdown – Sen. Andy Kim announced that he will be voluntarily turning down his salary if Republicans and Democrats can’t reach a deal.

New Jersey's other U.S. senator, Cory Booker, told Patch that he will also forgo his salary if a shutdown takes place.

The government will shut down at midnight Tuesday if Congress fails to pass a temporary spending bill to fund the government through Nov. 21. It passed the House, but in the Senate – where 60 votes are needed for approval – both GOP and Democratic proposals were rejected.

“It’s wrong that the president and members of congress get paid during a government shutdown when our military and public servants don’t,” said Kim, a Democrat who previously represented the state’s 3rd district in the House.

Kim and Booker aren't the only congress members who say they will refuse a paycheck if a shutdown commences. As of Tuesday, Rep. Tom Kean Jr., a Republican from the state's 7th district, and Rep. Nellie Pou, a Democrat from the 9th district, have also made similar pledges.

The current salary for most senators and members of the House of Representatives is $174,000. Exceptions include the Speaker of the House ($223,500) and the President pro tempore of the Senate and the majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate ($193,400). These levels have remained unchanged since 2009.

In a letter to the U.S. Senate Disbursing Office, Kim said that if the federal government shuts down due to the current lapse in appropriations, more than 48,000 federal employees and 10,000 active-duty servicemembers living in New Jersey face the prospect of either working without pay or being furloughed.

It’s unacceptable, he said.

“I will be refusing my own pay if we end up in a shutdown,” Kim said. “Government leaders shouldn’t be playing with other people’s chips.”

It isn’t the first time that Kim has made such a stance. During his first days as a U.S. congressman before entering the senate, he requested his first paycheck from congress be withheld due to a government shutdown in 2019.

• See Related: Federal Agencies Planning For Mass Firings Ahead Of Potential Shutdown

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