Area Congress Members Deal With Sensitive Pay Issue While Government Is Shut Down
By David Madden
WASHINGTON, N.J. (CBS) -- Members of Congress are being paid while the government is partially shut down. But one local congressman has decided he won't accept a paycheck as long as the impasse continues.
Rep. Frank LoBiondo, a South Jersey Republican, says he'll write a check to the US Treasury for every dime he gets while he has to furlough half his staff.
"I realized that me getting paid when so many other people were hurting so badly was not something that I wanted," he told KYW Newsradio this morning.
LoBiondo says he's hoping the situation gets settled quickly, not so much for himself but because another deadline is looming: a decision on raising the debt ceiling. The consequences of failing to act on that front, he says, could be far more severe in terms of the economic effect on the country.
We have reached out to the rest of the local Congressional delegation regarding whether they will accept a paycheck during the shutdown. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) said he will. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) will not. Nor will Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.).
Congressman Bob Brady (D-Pa.) said he is distributing his paycheck among his 22 furloughed staffers.
There was no immediate response from Chaka Fattah, Pat Meehan, and Jon Runyan.
