Amata Delays Her Pay Until Shutdown Ends, Urges Priority Payment to Military and Federal Employees

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is requesting that the U.S. House of Representatives delay her paycheck until the federal government has reopened, to stand with all those awaiting paychecks. Her pay would not be restored until federal employees are being paid, military personnel are fully supported and certain to receive their next paychecks, and services to the people have resumed.

In the lengthy 2018 shutdown, Congresswoman Amata also requested her pay be held up until the shutdown was solved, by making a formal request to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the House. The pay for Members of Congress is not subject to the shutdown, based on constitutional requirements to pay the Congress, so it is up to individual Members to take action to hold up their own pay in solidarity with the millions of Americans bearing the cost of the shutdown.

“I appreciate that some other Members of Congress are also making the decision to delay their pay in recognition of the shutdown’s cost to the people of the country, though most of us have high housing costs in the DC area,” said Congresswoman Amata. “We must stand with the many Americans who are not being paid due to the shutdown, and many others who face delays in having federal services processed or other uncertainties.”

“I continue to disagree with the Senate vote that shut down the federal government in the first place, as I believe that health care priorities, including those I support, are best solved with bipartisan dialogue while the government is open and at work for all Americans,” Amata continued. “I’m encouraged by some of the suggestions from Senate Majority Leader Thune to provide a path forward, such as the idea to pass pay for military and excepted federal employees who are still at work. I urge senators to continue negotiations with urgency, so that the government opens as soon as possible.”

Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution requires that “Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services,” and the 27th Amendment prevents changing their pay rate during the current Congress, stating, “No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.” 

Federal employees, whether working or furloughed, will receive back pay after the shutdown, required under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019.

The House-passed clean funding through Nov. 21 would have maintained funding for seven weeks at the time it passed, but it did not pass the Senate. The House Appropriations Committee has also passed all 12 appropriations bills, and the Senate has completed work on eight of the 12 bills, providing points of agreement for negotiating the end of the shutdown.

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