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McCollum Forgoes Salary During Republican Shutdown in Solidarity with Federal Employees and Congressional Staff

October 2, 2013

Co-Sponsors Bill to Retroactively Pay Federal Employees Impacted by GOP Shutdown of the Government

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), in a letter to the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, voluntarily requested that she not receive her Congressional salary until the federal government shutdown has ended and regular government operations are restored. With the federal shutdown or “lapse in appropriations,” more than 800,000 federal employees have been furloughed. Other federal employees and Congressional staff will be working, but not receiving paychecks. Rep. McCollum strongly opposes the Republican shutdown of the government and supports the immediate passage of legislation to fund the government without policy riders to defund or delay the Affordable Care Act.

In addition to not taking a paycheck during the Republican government shutdown, Rep. McCollum announced today that she is co-sponsoring the “Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act,” sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA). This is a bill to ensure all federal employees receive pay for the duration of a federal government shutdown, regardless of their furlough status.

“The Republicans shut down the federal government, and now millions of Americans, including federal employees and citizens in need of government services, have been hurt. I will not take my salary until Congress opens the government and puts federal employees back to work. But these dedicated public servants should not be punished because the Tea Party’s ideological crusade against ObamaCare. They deserve to be paid retroactively and I will work to make sure they are.”