Vindman: “Yet, while our neighbors face missed paychecks or furlough, Members of Congress continue to draw full salaries. That is plain wrong and why I am doing my part by declining my pay and leading a bill to hold Members of Congress to the same standards as everyone else.”
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Eugene Vindman (Va.-07) today asked the U.S. House of Representatives’ Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to withhold his salary if the government shuts down, which could happen as soon as 12:00am ET on Wednesday, October 1. After making this request, he released the following statement:
“As a 25-year Army officer and the husband of a federal employee who left government service because of DOGE, I know the strain this Republican shutdown will put on families in my district. Our family has confronted the uncertainty of being able to make ends meet in previous shutdowns and believe that we need to lead from the front on this one, which is why I asked to have my salary deferred,” said Vindman.
Vindman continued, “Yet, while our neighbors face missed paychecks or furlough, Members of Congress continue to draw full salaries. That is plain wrong and why I am doing my part by declining my pay and leading a bill to hold Members of Congress to the same standards as everyone else. It’s past time for Trump and his rubber-stamp Republicans to join me in supporting a budget that funds our public schools, lowers costs, and protects healthcare instead of further punishing public servants.”
In March 2025, Vindman introduced bipartisan legislation that would block Members of Congress from receiving their pay during a government shutdown.
In his letter to CAO Szpindor, Vindman warned that a shutdown would put thousands of hardworking Virginians in the Seventh District at risk — from federal workers and contractors to the small businesses that rely on them. He made clear that Members of Congress should not collect a paycheck while the people they serve are left in limbo.
Click here to read Vindman’s letter. The full text is below.
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Dear Chief Administrative Officer Szpindor,
In the event of a government shutdown, I am requesting that my congressional salary be withheld until the shutdown ends.
As the Representative for thousands of federal workers and their families in Virginia, I know the strain shutdowns place on those who serve our nation. These men and women keep America safe, secure, and functioning. Yet, while they face uncertainty and missed paychecks, Members of Congress continue to draw full salaries. That is wrong.
I oppose this policy, and so do the American people. If Congress cannot fulfill its most basic responsibility of keeping the government open, lawmakers should not be rewarded with our paychecks while federal employees are left to shoulder the consequences.
That is why I will continue pressing for passage of my bipartisan legislation to ensure no Member of Congress receives a salary during a shutdown. Until that becomes law, I will do my part and decline my own pay.
Shutdowns weaken families, disrupt communities, and undermine trust in government. The least Congress can do is share in the sacrifice until we do our jobs.
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