Md. lawmakers to donate salary during shutdown
With the federal government hours away from shutting down, Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and a growing number of other Maryland lawmakers vowed Friday to donate salary to charity if Congress fails to meet tonight's deadline to pass a spending plan.
The Baltimore County Democrat is one of a number of lawmakers across the country, both Republican and Democrat, making similar pledges to forgo pay during a possible shutdown as the government prepares to furlough roughly 800,000 federal employees and delay pay for members of the military, including those in combat overseas.
“With all of the political maneuvering going on between Republican and Democrats in Congress, I want to be clear. If the government shuts down, I will forego my taxpayer-funded paycheck. If federal employees are not paid, I will not be paid. If our troops are not paid, I will not be paid,” Ruppersberger said in a statement. “It is shameful that those elected to office cannot reach a compromise to keep our government up and running and Congress should not be rewarded for its inability to work together.”
Ruppersberger, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, earns $174,000 a year, the base pay for most rank-and-file members of Congress. He said he would donate the money to the Army Emergency Relief Fund, which helps military families with emergency food, utilities and medical expenses.
Updated: – Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski has also signed a pledge to forgo her pay during a shutdown.
“If we shut down the government and federal employees and contractors don’t get paid, Congress shouldn't get paid,” the Maryland Democrat said. “And not only should Congress not get paid, no back-pay, no way.”
More than two dozen senators have signed the pledge, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Sen. Sherron Brown, D-Ohio.
Updated: Rep. Andy Harris also said Friday he would donate pay if the government shuts down. "Because federal employees and our service men and women don’t get paid during a possible government shutdown, neither should I," the Maryland Republican said in a statement. “I plan to donate ... my earnings during the potential shutdown to a worthy charity.”
Comments
Does Dutch have a pension coming in from the taxpayers of Maryland and Baltimore County?
To hear that witch congresscritter from California say she "lives paycheck to paycheck" while making $175,000 a year is laughable and downright ignorant of her.
But what can we expect from the Lying Party.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 8, 2011 4:08 PM
“The budget discussion is not about whether or not to cut – it’s about what to cut,” he said. “We must identify what is working and get rid of what is not. We must reduce government spending but protect appropriate investments to restore American prosperity.”
Those are wonderful words. It's too bad that he really means none of it.
Posted by: Liberty or Death | April 8, 2011 4:26 PM
Sean Duffy, the Former reality star turned Republican congressman from Wisconsin was quoted as saying the same thing, so its coming from both sides of the aisle...
Posted by: Mather | April 8, 2011 4:37 PM
Pathetic politics. He's part of a party that's added trillions to our debt & he's going to contribute his salary. I just wish Dutch had some backbone & stood up to the Obama/Pelosi/Reid nonsense
& was more than a rubber-stamp. We're trillions in debt & the Dems can't find 42 billion to cut - get real!!
Posted by: Don I | April 8, 2011 5:04 PM
Re "Annonymous" post above:
A Republican congressman complained about his salary too...
Sean Duffy: Salary Words 'Poorly Chosen,' Even 'In Context'
- Steve Lebowitz, Annapolis
Posted by: Steve Lebowitz | April 8, 2011 5:07 PM
Wah wah wah...Dems are at fault here. They FAILED to produce a budget last year when they were in control. They did do to avoid making the deep cuts needed and having their cuts noticed by voters in November. Now OBama and Dems trying to blame Republicans for finally stepping up and beginning to make the desperately needed actions to save the USA. They are arguing about about 1% of the total budget. Next year even more cuts MUST be made- even with cuts of $4Trillion we run at a deficit. Govt spends too much $$ and had to be reined in and controlled.
Posted by: Paul Thompson | April 8, 2011 5:15 PM
Dutch, you're such a noble guy. Too bad you didn't grow a pair when you voted for this cockamamie health plan after you assured your constituents that you would vote against it. Typical doublespeak - just another political hack who was corrupted the day he moved into his office in DC.
Posted by: John DiBattista | April 8, 2011 5:52 PM
Now this is ironic. As people struggle, Ruppersberger still has his primary business running smoothly even while he's in DC. And little do people know, what the Fat One does for a living. Fat Boy has a collections agency. So much for Mr. Charity. Brochin's office once approached his office regarding a situation where a man on disability was being harassed by a collection agency. They wanted some guidance on the federal level. Essentially, Fat Boy's office laughed off the disabled man. Charity. He makes me sick.
Posted by: TheBaltimoreColt | April 8, 2011 6:22 PM
My Fellow Americans,
If the people who are SUPPOSED to be our leaders would halt ALL TAX PAYER FUNDED FOREIGN AID TO ALL THE COUNTRIES WE GIVE IT TO NOW (especially those countries who call themselves our allies but are far from it) we could fund Our own government, provide Decent food to our hard pressed citizens, a decent roof over their heads, decent clothes on their backs, a Decent education, Decent transportion & Decent jobs. We could also completely re-do our entire infra-structure & bring an end to this terrible financal fiasco as well.
Of course some "Bleeding Heart Liberal" would cry that millions would die without our aid. But the fact of the matter is,...We don't know those people, nor are we respondsible for their well being. We ARE, HOWEVER, RESPONSIBLE for the welfare of our own citizens. And when we've taken care of all of those problems in our own country, then we'll supply that foreign aid to our TRUE ALLIES. Those that say their our friends, yet hold us in contempt, even as we dump Trillions of TAX PAYER DOLLARS into their coffers, can go to Hell. We'll let you take care of your own just as we're going to do to ours!
Posted by: James J. Bilenki Jr. (USN. RET.) | April 8, 2011 6:32 PM
That's mighty nice of Dutch to donate, what, his salary for about two, three weeks? After all, he does collect around a hundred or more thousand dollars from Baltimore County tax payers every year. How? A very generous pension negotiated by and between politicians, not us.
Posted by: George | April 8, 2011 6:43 PM
Charity??? Give it back to the Treasury fool.
Posted by: J. Williams | April 8, 2011 7:10 PM
Thank goodness. You know, the first thought that crossed my mind when I heard of the possibility of a federal shutdown a few weeks ago was "I wonder whether Dutch will give his paycheck back."
And now we know.
Posted by: anon | April 8, 2011 8:01 PM
Since he votes whichever way Pelosi and Reid tell him and he admitted he didn't have time to read the Health Care Bill, he hasn't worked to earn a paycheck. He should donate it. For an outstanding County Exec that he was, he sure became one of the GOOD OLDE BOYS without a pair in short order. Better yet, Dutch give it back you didn't earn it.
Posted by: TSinNottingham | April 8, 2011 9:59 PM