WASHINGTON – During the recent 43-day federal government shutdown, many members of Congress — including several from Central Florida — suggested it was unfair that they continued to get paid while hundreds of thousands of federal workers either worked without pay or were furloughed.
Under the U.S. Constitution, “Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services,” which meant lawmakers’ paychecks kept coming even as large parts of the federal government were closed.
Most U.S. senators and representatives earn $174,000 a year, which works out to roughly $20,500 over the course of the shutdown.
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News 6 asked Central Florida’s congressional delegation what they did with that money.
Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody said she donated her shutdown salary to the Crisis Center of Tampa.
Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott has always donated his entire government salary to charity, including during his time as Florida’s governor. Scott donated a portion of his salary in August to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, according to his office.
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“Throughout my time in office, Ann and I have been blessed to give my Senate salary to incredible organizations in Florida and across the nation that are serving their communities and making a difference,” Scott said in a statement.
Republican U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster kept his government salary during the shutdown. However, his office said that, as he does every year, Webster plans to deliver a check to the Bureau of Fiscal Service to voluntarily roll back his salary to 2008 levels. That amounts to a refund of about $4,700.
Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Haridopolos’s office said he “reached out to House administration and requested that his pay be paused until the shutdown was complete.” Haridopolos later received back pay after the government reopened.
Republican U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack posted a message on social media during the shutdown saying, “every single member of Congress should be withholding their pay.” However, her office did not respond to questions from News 6 about whether she ultimately accepted back pay.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost kept his pay during the shutdown.
“The Congressman is not independently wealthy, nor does he buy or trade stocks like many members of Congress do,” Frost’s office said in a statement, adding that members who did reject their congressional pay “are simply virtue signaling.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Darren Soto and Republicans Cory Mills and Randy Fine did not respond to questions from News 6 about whether they delayed their paychecks during the shutdown or donated them to charity.
Fine has co-sponsored a bill that will automatically withhold lawmakers’ pay in the future if Congress fails to pass a budget. That proposal has not been approved.