Some Ohio Lawmakers Give Up Pay During Federal Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the federal government shutdown continues, more than 750,000 civilian federal employees — including 83,000 in Ohio — are expected to miss their first paycheck this week.

In response, several Ohio lawmakers have pledged to forgo their own pay until Congress reaches a budget agreement.

What You Need to Know

Several Republican Ohio lawmakers vowed not to accept their pay during the shutdown.
Some Democratic Ohio lawmakers are backing bills to guarantee back pay for federal workers.
More than 83,000 federal employees in Ohio will miss paychecks this week.

Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) announced that he asked the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer to withhold his salary for the duration of the shutdown.

“Government shutdowns are costly and unproductive, and members of Congress should not be collecting paychecks while other federal workers go without,” Latta said in a statement.

By law, members of Congress still receive pay during a shutdown under Article I, Section 6 of the U.S. Constitution, which mandates congressional compensation. To change that, Latta co-sponsored a constitutional amendment that would automatically pause lawmaker pay during shutdowns.

Other Ohio lawmakers have taken similar steps.

Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) requested to have his pay withheld.
Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) co-sponsored the No Budget, No Pay Act, which would hold lawmakers’ salaries in escrow.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) introduced a bill to fine members of Congress $500 a day through added income tax to prevent them from receiving back pay once the shutdown ends.

“This is a huge pain for government employees,” Moreno said. “They’re under enormous stress and anxiety. It’s a terrible look for the country and an awful example to taxpayers. If members of Congress don’t feel that same financial hit, nothing will change.”

Meanwhile, some lawmakers are focusing on protecting federal workers’ pay.

Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio) said she will introduce legislation to guarantee back pay for federal employees, while Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) co-sponsored a bill to ensure back pay for federal contractors.

The issue of congressional pay during shutdowns isn’t new. During the 35-day shutdown from December 2018 to January 2019, nearly half of Ohio’s congressional delegation forfeited their paychecks. Once that shutdown ended, all federal employees received full back pay.

Adding to the uncertainty, President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was considering not paying some furloughed employees.

“It really depends on who you’re talking about,” Trump said. “But for the most part, we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”

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