Congressmen get paid during shutdown, most staffers out of luck
If a government shutdown hits Washington on Friday, thousands of government employees will be sent home without pay and soldiers in the field will have to temporarily fight without compensation until the politicians figure it out. But Congressmen get to set their own shutdown rules — and they will continue to get paid. Most of ...
If a government shutdown hits Washington on Friday, thousands of government employees will be sent home without pay and soldiers in the field will have to temporarily fight without compensation until the politicians figure it out. But Congressmen get to set their own shutdown rules — and they will continue to get paid. Most of their staffers won’t.
"Congress has its own shutdown planning and set of guidelines," a senior administration official told reporters on a Wednesday conference call about the potential shutdown. The legislative branch is subject to the shutdown but is able to set its own rules on who gets to keep working, who gets paid, and who gets retroactively reimbursed.
A senior administration official confirmed to The Cable that even if the taps are shut off, all Congressmen will later be reinbursed their entire salaries no matter how long the shutdown lasts. Staffers who are deemed essential enough to keep working through the crisis could also get paid, but most will be sent home, without pay for the forced leave.
On the conference call, the officials confirmed The Cable‘s report that uniformed members of the military will not get paid during the shutdown, although they will get the money back later (not with interest). The officials also confirmed that the vast majority of Defense Department, State Department, and USAID civilians would be furloughed, as well as most White House staff.
"We expect that a significant number of DOD employees, unfortunately, would be furloughed during this shutdown," the official said.
We’re told by multiple State Department officials that planned trips have already been cancelled and some officials abroad are being told to return home early, put newly incurred costs on their credit cards, and hope for reimbursement later.
A host of other important government services would also be suspended. The Internal Revenue Service would stop processing paper tax return filings and doing audits. The Federal Housing Administration, which guarantees one of every three mortgages, would stop functioning. The Small Business Administration would stop approving loans for small businesses.
"This would have a significant effect on our economic momentum," the official said.
Ramping up the pressure even further, the official also wanted Washington residents to know that unless Republicans agree to a deal, "The Cherry Blossom parade will not happen this weekend."
Officially called the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, the longtime spring tradition in downtown D.C. features "lavish floats, giant helium balloons, marching bands, and performers… in an energy-filled spectacle of music and showmanship seen only once a year."
Josh Rogin covers national security and foreign policy and writes the daily Web column The Cable. His column appears bi-weekly in the print edition of The Washington Post. He can be reached for comments or tips at josh.rogin@foreignpolicy.com.
Previously, Josh covered defense and foreign policy as a staff writer for Congressional Quarterly, writing extensively on Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay, U.S.-Asia relations, defense budgeting and appropriations, and the defense lobbying and contracting industries. Prior to that, he covered military modernization, cyber warfare, space, and missile defense for Federal Computer Week Magazine. He has also served as Pentagon Staff Reporter for the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's leading daily newspaper, in its Washington, D.C., bureau, where he reported on U.S.-Japan relations, Chinese military modernization, the North Korean nuclear crisis, and more.
A graduate of George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, Josh lived in Yokohama, Japan, and studied at Tokyo's Sophia University. He speaks conversational Japanese and has reported from the region. He has also worked at the House International Relations Committee, the Embassy of Japan, and the Brookings Institution.
Josh's reporting has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, CBS, ABC, NPR, WTOP, and several other outlets. He was a 2008-2009 National Press Foundation's Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellow, 2009 military reporting fellow with the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the 2011 recipient of the InterAction Award for Excellence in International Reporting. He hails from Philadelphia and lives in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @joshrogin
More from Foreign Policy
Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?
The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.
Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World
It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.
It’s a New Great Game. Again.
Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.
Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing
The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
