Gaetz tells Congress to withhold his pay during potential government shutdown

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Tuesday said he asked for his pay to be withheld starting Sunday, Oct. 1, until the government is funded in light of a possible shutdown going into effect starting that day.

In a letter to House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor, Gaetz said he understands that members of Congress will continue to be paid if there is a lapse in appropriations because lawmakers cannot agree on a budget. If this goes into effect, Gaetz said he wants his pay to be withheld until the shutdown ends. 

Gaetz also said he has consistently pushed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to "bring individual, single-subject spending bills to the House floor to be voted on with open amendments to avoid a shutdown." Spending bills are typically massive and cover multiple areas of government, and Gaetz's demands for smaller budget bills has not been granted. 

Gaetz is one of several conservative Republicans preventing the House from moving forward with bills that would fund the government before the start of the 2023 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1. If a bill does not pass before Sunday, the government will shut down. 

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