Here's How Much Congress Has Been Paid During The Government Shutdown

Here's How Much Congress Has Been Paid During The Government Shutdown
The Huffington Post  |  By Mollie Reilly Posted: 10/07/2013 3:54 pm EDT  |  Updated: 10/07/2013 3:59 pm EDT 
As the U.S. government shutdown enters its second week and over 800,000 federal workers remain furloughed without pay, members of Congress are still earning their constitutionally-protected salaries.
Over at Congress Still Gets Paid, created by Nick Miaritis, Steve Nowicki and Alex Goldstein, they're tracking just how much money senators and representatives have earned collectively since the beginning of the shutdown:


Under the 27th Amendment, no law changing the rate of compensation for members may take effect until after an election is held in the House of Representatives. However, that hasn't stopped lawmakers and their constituents from calling for a block on congressional paychecks until the shutdown is over.
Last week, Rep. Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) introduced the "No Government — No Pay Act," which would keep members from getting paid until an agreement is met on how to fund the government.

And as of Monday afternoon, over 393,000 individuals had signed a CourageCampaign petition on MoveOn.org demanding no pay for Congress throughout the duration of the budget standoff. Similar efforts have drawn tens of thousands of supporters.

While over 150 lawmakers have said they would either refuse or donate their compensation until the shutdown is over, some members have publicly defended their decisions to hang on to their paychecks.
"I'm staying here, and I'm working," Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said last week. "My office is open, we're taking phone calls, I'm voting every day, I'm debating every day, I'm going to countless meetings. I'm working to earn the salary that the people pay me to do the job. I don't get into those sort of stunt-y things, and I'm not going to do it."

 http://huff.to/1b5gMSA