Collins says Congress shouldn’t accept pay if government shuts down

WASHINGTON, D.C. – If the government shuts down after next Tuesday, due to a showdown in Congress over funding a new health care law, Congressman Chris Collins said members of Congress should not accept their paychecks.

Collins, R-Clarence, has introduced the Government Shutdown Fairness Act (H.R. 3160). This legislation would stop members of Congress from receiving a salary in the event of a government shutdown.

“As members of Congress, it is our job to keep the government running, and if the government shuts down, I don’t believe we should collect a salary during that time,” Collins said in a press release. “It is wrong that members of Congress should continue to get paid while programs for veterans, seniors and many others are adversely impacted.”

This type of legislation has proven effective in the past, Collins said. Earlier this year, the House passed the “No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013,” which said members of Congress would not be paid unless they passed a budget. Following the passage of No Budget, No Pay, the Senate adopted a budget resolution for the first time in four years, Collins said.

“Salary and job performance should be tied together, and if members of Congress aren’t doing their job, that should be reflected in their salary,” Collins said. “The American people deserve more from their Congress and it is time, as members of Congress, that we put ourselves at the back of the line and put our constituents first in a government shutdown.”