Shaheen Pledges to Forego Pay if Government Shuts Down

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) has joined a bipartisan group of Senate and House colleagues in pledging to forego her federal salary in the event of a government shutdown.  Shaheen signed on to a “No Budget, No Pay” letter from U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) last night.  The letter urges the President, Vice President, and all Members of the House and Senate to give their salaries to the U.S. Treasury Department or donate them to charities should a shutdown occur.

“I hope we won’t have a shutdown because of the impact it will have on our economy.  It’s also unnecessary since there’s agreement on the need for significant cuts to the budget and the size of those cuts,” Shaheen said.  “Unfortunately, House Republicans are ready to put 800,000 people out of work in order to defund Planned Parenthood—that’s irresponsible. Until Congress does its job and works this out, I will refuse to accept pay."

The “No Budget, No Pay” pledge was inspired by legislation to prevent lawmakers and the President from drawing a salary if the government shuts down, which passed the Senate with Shaheen’s support. Shaheen sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner urging him to pass the legislation, but the House of Representatives has yet to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.

In addition to Senators Shaheen and Manchin, signatories to the pledge so far include:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)

Senator Mark Begich (D-AK)

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)
Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN)

Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI)

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)

Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE)

Senator Rob Portman (R-OH)

Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV)

Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME)

Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)

Senator Jon Tester (D-MT)

Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA)

A full copy of the letter is available here.