Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) is working to pass legislation that would abolish paychecks for all members of Congress during government shutdowns.
“If you didn't do your job in business, you didn't get paid. You don't show up and do your job. You don't get paid. Why are we getting paid?" Senator Scott questioned during an interview with Fox News. "We shouldn't get paid if we don't do our job. We need to figure out how to work together to get our budgets done.”
Florida Representative Gus Bilirakis (R) released a statement on social media announcing his order to the Chief Administrative Office to withhold his salary in the wake of the shutdown.
“It is unacceptable for Members of Congress to receive a paycheck while dedicated federal workers – including members of our Armed Services – go without. That’s why I’ve instructed the CAO to withhold my salary for the full length of the shutdown,” Bilirakis stated.
The representative also made a plea to Democrats to “stop playing partisan politics” and to come to a mutual agreement so the government can reopen.
“I strongly urge my colleagues in the Senate to stop playing partisan politics and pass the clean Continuing Resolution we sent them," he added. "We must immediately reopen the government and return to fulfilling our responsibilities to the American people.”
In his interview, Sen. Scott urged Democrats to reach a resolution, arguing that “nobody wins in a shutdown” and insisting that Biden-era funding remains too high, implying that Democrats should accept the Republican Party’s offer.
“This is a clean resolution. All we're doing is keeping the funding. And actually, the funding is too high," Scott opined. "It's still the Biden funding, but I don't want to shut down the government. So I supported. But the Democrats say they want to shut down for whatever reason. How is this good for the country? Nobody wins with a shutdown.”
