Press Release of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer

Boxer Statement on House Republicans' Efforts to Protect Their Pay During a Government Shutdown  

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Republicans rejected a straight-forward measure that would prevent Members of Congress and the President of the United States from being paid during a shutdown of the federal government.  

More than a month ago, the Senate unanimously passed a “no budget, no pay” measure introduced by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Bob Casey (D-PA). Despite repeated calls on House Speaker Boehner to pass the measure as a stand-alone bill, the Speaker has refused to do so. Instead, Speaker Boehner attached “no budget, no pay” language to a piece of legislation that has no hope of becoming law.  

Senator Boxer said, “House Republicans are doing everything in their power to protect their pay during a government shutdown. Apparently they do not believe they should feel the pain that millions of Americans would feel during a shutdown of the government. 

“Attaching their pay measure to a bill that has no prayer of ever becoming law shows House Republicans are not serious about ‘no budget, no pay.’ This is nothing more than an April Fools’ Day gimmick.” 

This is not the first time House Republicans rejected a straight-forward measure to cut off pay for Members of Congress and the President in the event of a government shutdown. Before the 1995 shutdown, the Senate passed a measure that would have prevented lawmakers from being paid. Even though at the time Congressman Boehner said he backed that measure, the House, under then-Speaker Newt Gingrich, blocked the measure from becoming law.