Millions of federal workers won’t get paid during a government shutdown. But the people who could prevent or end a shutdown — members of Congress — will still receive a paycheck.
That’s because their pay is protected under Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution, which states: “The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.”
The Constitution “says members will be paid,” Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, explained to reporters Tuesday.
It really varies by state and department.
Plenty of red states have stacked their bureaucracies with loyal Republican apparatchiks. They’ll be hit as hard as anyone else.
Vanishingly few Congresscritters are anything resembling poor. You need a certain excess of free time and wealth just to attempt to run. And you need a large body of wealthy friends to finance your campaign.
The idea that Nancy Pelosi and Dick Durbin can’t weather this storm because they’re Democrats is absurd.
You’ll notice I said “many” and not “all.”
I’ll spot you “a few”.