Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) said on Mar. 26 that members of Congress should not receive their salaries while Department of Homeland Security employees go unpaid during the ongoing government shutdown.
The issue has drawn attention as more than 260,000 Department of Homeland Security workers have missed paychecks for over a month, while lawmakers continue to be paid. Kennedy said this situation is unfair and called for shared sacrifice among elected officials.
“Here’s a cold dish of truth, folks: We’ve got 260,000 people who work at the Department of Homeland Security, and they have gone without pay for more than a month because my Democratic colleagues refuse to work with us to reopen the department. It’s unconscionable. It’s inexcusable,” Kennedy said. He continued, “Meanwhile, members of Congress have been receiving their pay as normal. Now, when fair-minded Americans hear that members of Congress haven’t missed a paycheck while more than a quarter of a million DHS employees go without, it triggers their gag reflexes.”
Kennedy introduced a resolution to prohibit senators from collecting their salaries during government shutdowns until operations resume. He explained that his proposal would require the Secretary of the Senate to hold each senator’s paycheck until after the government reopens. According to Kennedy, “The resolution that I authored has already passed the Senate Rules Committee. Every single Republican voted for it. And every single Democrat on the Rules Committee voted for it.” However, he said Democrats blocked its progress following another partial government closure.
“I’ll be back again, and again, and again, to try to pass this resolution,” Kennedy said about his commitment to advancing the measure.
Kennedy holds top Republican positions on subcommittees related to energy and water development as well as economic policy according to his official website. He also serves on committees overseeing appropriations, banking, budget and judiciary matters according to his official website. In addition to his legislative duties he contributes as an adjunct professor and substitute teacher according to his official website.
Kennedy earned degrees including magna cum laude honors in political science from Vanderbilt University; law degrees from both Oxford University and University of Virginia; served as executive editor at Virginia Law Review; was president of his senior class at Vanderbilt; authored books on constitutional law; and ran on policies focused on constituent benefit—all detailed on his official site.
Concluding his remarks about congressional pay during shutdowns Kennedy stated: “If the employees of the Department of Homeland Security aren’t being paid, senators shouldn’t be paid either. And that’s just the bottom line.”
