SC congressional delegation donating, pausing paychecks amid government shutdown

The United States Capitol on March 14, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

At least five members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation have asked that their salaries be withheld until the ongoing federal government shutdown finally ends.

Two other lawmakers chose to forgo their salaries entirely and donate them to charity. And two others did not respond to calls or emails from the SC Daily Gazette.

Under federal law, the president, Congress and federal judges all receive regular salaries during the shutdowns, unlike the 2 million civilian government employees and thousands of members of Congress.

Members of Congress have the option of receiving their pay as normal, donating it to charity, returning the money to the Treasury to repay the federal debt, or having their check held. They will receive back pay when the shutdown ends, like other federal workers who don’t have an option.

The base salary for members of Congress is $174,000 per year.

Salary retained

In separate statements to the SC Daily Gazette, five South Carolina Republicans on Capitol Hill said Congress should not be paid while federal employees and families across the country are going without due to the current impasse. Those statements came from U.S. Reps. Sheri Biggs, Russell Fry, Nancy Mace, William Timmons and Joe Wilson on Tuesday, 12 days after federal workers missed their first full paycheck since the shutdown began on Oct. 1.

“I withheld my paycheck during the shutdown because if our troops, our border agents and our essential workers aren’t getting paid, I shouldn’t be either,” said Biggs, whose conservative 3rd Congressional District spans 11 counties, from Edgefield County on the Georgia border to the northwest corner of the state.

“Public service means putting others first, and I will always stand with the hard-working Americans who make this country work,” she added in a statement.

Wilson highlighted his engagement on social media at the start of the shutdown.

“A government shutdown is irresponsible,” he said Oct. 1, noting that he voted with Republicans on the stopgap spending bill that cleared the House. “In solidarity with Americans who are feeling the financial pain of this misguided vote, I will not accept my own government salary until this government shutdown is over.”

The 2nd District congressman said he kept that commitment.

Democrats and Republicans have pointed fingers, each blaming the other for not moving as the shutdown continues.

House Republicans passed a stopgap spending bill that allows the government to continue operating at current levels. Republicans in the Senate cannot pass this measure alone, because their slim majority cannot reach the 60-vote threshold required by the House. The measure failed in the Senate for the 14th time on Tuesday.

Democrats are seeking a permanent extension of enhanced federal tax credits that reduce the cost of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Initially approved during the pandemic, the improvements that make private health care affordable will expire on December 31. Republicans argue that the government must open up before these negotiations begin.

“While Senate Democrats play politics and hold the government hostage, Congresswoman Mace refuses to collect a dime until our troops and federal workers receive the pay they have earned,” according to a statement from the 1st Coastal District Representative’s office. “She voted to keep the government open and will not take her paycheck until theirs is restored.”

Active-duty military personnel actually continued to receive pay. President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Department of Defense to reallocate the money to keep those dollars flowing — at least for now.

To ensure troops’ final paychecks, the defense agency withdrew $2.5 billion from a military housing fund included in the Republican “One Big Beautiful” spending package passed earlier this year. In addition, $1.4 billion came from military research funds and another $1.4 billion came from an account to fund the construction of U.S. Navy ships.

A constitutional push

Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman, both Republicans, each introduced a constitutional amendment in their chamber that would automatically eliminate pay for members of Congress in the event of a future shutdown.

Timmons, who represents the 4th District, and Fry, who represents the 7th District, also expressed support for the idea.

Congress has voted several times over the years to formally withhold member salaries during a shutdown, but none of the proposals have passed.

Graham and Norman’s measure to amend the Constitution probably has even less chance. The process requires approval by a two-thirds majority in each chamber and then approval by three-fourths of the states.

But in the meantime, both also said they would donate their salaries to charity.

Graham said he will donate his salary to Upstate Warrior Solution, which helps veterans and their families meet needs such as housing and employment.

Norman said he would make donations to the Children’s Attention Home, which helps foster children and homeless youth, as well as the Westminster Presbyterian Church Fund.

“If members of Congress were to forgo their salaries during government shutdowns, there would be fewer shutdowns and they would end more quickly,” Graham said in a statement. “Not only should members of Congress not be paid during shutdowns, but lost wages should be used to pay down the federal debt. »

Norman, whose 5th District covers the Charlotte suburbs to the Midlands, called it “unconscionable” for politicians to get back pay during a shutdown.

“As hardworking Americans tighten their belts, Congress should not be shielded from the consequences it helped create,” he said in a statement.

The church and the veterans’ charity declined to comment on how they would use the donations. The SC Daily Gazette was unable to reach Children’s Attention Home for comment.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., also did not respond to requests for comment.