Congress, Obama get paid in a government shutdown

12:54 PM

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By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY

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By Brendan Hoffman, Getty Images

Did you know that Congress and President Obama would be paid if the federal government has to shut down this weekend?Despite attempts in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to block such a move, members of Congress and the president are considered "essential" government employees and would be paid in the event a budget deal cannot be reached by Friday. The same goes for aides who are deemed "essential" in helping members of Congress in carrying out their constitutional duties.
Rank and file members of Congress get paid $174,000 a year. Top leaders such as House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., earn more. The president's salary is $400,000 a year.
Last week, the House passed a bill by freshman Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., that said Congress and the president would not get paid in the event of a government shutdown.
But the measure also would enact the terms of a budget bill that passed the GOP-led House to cut $61 billion in federal spending, which has been rejected by the Democratic-controlled Senate and is considered a non-starter at the White House.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., got approval last month for her bill to cut off pay to Congress and the president during a shutdown. It also would block any retroactive payments once a budget deal for the rest of fiscal 2011 is enacted.
But Boxer's measure is also unlikely to go anywhere in this political environment. She and 21 Senate Democrats are pushing House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to take up her legislation.
"If we cannot do our work and keep the government functioning, we should not receive a paycheck. If we cannot compromise and meet each other halfway, then we should not be paid," said the letter circulated by Boxer and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.
Why is it so difficult to cut off pay for Congress? The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is the answer. It states that "no law, varying the compensation for the services of the senators and representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened."
The House Administration Committee has issued guidelines to members of Congress about what happens during a government shutdown, including rules on putting aides on furlough.
Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., whose district includes many federal workers, said today he doesn't feel right about letting his staff go if the government shuts down. "If they're not going to get paid, and I'm going to get paid, I'm going to do everything I can to keep them working."
(Contributing: Gregory Korte)