Government Shutdown: Withholding Pay

Tomorrow, federal workers across the country and in Upstate New York will miss their first paycheck due to the government shutdown. As someone who grew up in a working-class family in Schenectady, I understand what a paycheck means for a family, whether it's for paying for groceries or filling a prescription, paying the rent, nobody should have to put their lives on hold because of our inability here to find common ground and open up the government. It is simply reprehensible, particularly when so many people in this country are living paycheck-to-paycheck. Because of that, and after speaking with my wife Lacey, we decided that we cannot in good conscience accept my paycheck right now as a Member of Congress. I will be sending a letter to the House Chief Administrative Officer requesting that my pay be withheld until the government reopens.