Summary
A Congressman from South Carolina, Ralph Norman, is proposing that lawmakers should not be paid during a government shutdown. He introduced a constitutional amendment to stop Congress members from receiving salaries if the government closes. In a government shutdown, lawmakers keep getting paid, but other government workers do not receive their paychecks immediately.
Key Facts
- Ralph Norman is a Representative from South Carolina.
- He suggested a change to the Constitution to stop pay for Congress members during a shutdown.
- The U.S. government shut down because lawmakers couldn't agree on a funding plan.
- Essential workers still have to work but don't get paid during a shutdown until later.
- Most members of Congress get paid $174,000 a year, with top leaders earning more.
- Norman's amendment would not allow lawmakers to get backpay once the government reopens.
- In 2012, a similar idea called the "No Budget, No Pay Act" was introduced but did not pass.
- A constitutional amendment needs two-thirds of both the House and Senate to agree to pass.
