In yet more bad news for Schumer and Democrats in Congress, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a number of military veterans in Congress are chiming in and skewering them for continuing to collect paychecks at the same time as they put soldier paychecks at risk by keeping the government shut down as a way of pressuring Republicans into paying for healthcare for illegal aliens.
As background, many conservatives have pressed Congress to not take paychecks while the shutdown remains ongoing, as it seems unfair for members of Congress to be paid for failing to do their basic job and pass a budget at the same time as soldiers and bureaucrats go about their duties while, with the exception of soldiers, going unpaid.
While a bill was submitted that would pause Congressional pay for the duration of the shutdown, it has, predictably, gone nowhere. Instead, members of Congress, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have continued to draw pay while not managing to find and pass an acceptable budget deal with the Republican majority, which has already put forward a “clean” Continuing Resolution that would fund the government.
As such, Jeffries and others are facing fire from veterans in Congress who went scorched earth and noted that American service members are at risk of going unpaid because of fecklessness in Congress. Amongst those who did so were Reps. Gabe Evans (R-CO), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), and Tom Barrett (R-MI). All three said they’d be willing to go without pay for the duration of the shutdown disaster, but noted that Jeffries has refused to do the same.
Particularly, they pointed to an incident in which a CNN host asked Jeffries, “So, that sounds like a yes, that you will defer your paycheck?” Jeffries waffled in response, saying, “Well, I’ll have more to say about that shortly, but I think consistent with the values that I just articulated.” Watch Jeffries here:
"*" indicates required fields
Rep. Evans, a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot, ripped into Jeffries, telling Fox News Digital that his wishy washy statement to CNN was an “insult to Americans” that “just reiterates their unserious and irresponsible legislating and proves how out of touch they are from those they are supposed to serve.”
Continuing, Rep. Evans told the network, “As a former cop and soldier who still lives paycheck to paycheck, I understand firsthand the severity and impact that this Democrat-led shutdown has caused our country to endure, and is why I’ve chosen to defer my pay and stand in solidarity with every federal employee who misses a paycheck until the Democrats decide to work with Republicans to reopen our government.”
He then added, really turning the screws on Jeffries and others, “while thousands of dedicated and hardworking Americans continue to work tirelessly without a paycheck to keep America safe and running, Democrats continue to be noncommittal when asked about deferring their own pay amid the government shutdown.”
Rep. Meeks, a retired lieutenant colonel, noted to Fox News Digital that both hungry Americans and servicemembers are at risk, saying, “While 42 million Americans face losing their SNAP benefits and our troops go unpaid, Hakeem Jeffries is still cashing a paycheck.”
Similarly, Rep. Barrett, who served for over two decades, told Fox News Digital, “Hakeem Jeffries is so out of touch that he thinks he should be compensated for shutting down the government and causing the American people to suffer.” Barrett added, “This type of hypocrisy is exactly what I came to Washington to fight against. It’s time for him to drop this ‘rules for thee and not for me’ attitude and make a decision: pay our federal employees or pass on his paycheck like the rest of us.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video