Arizona congressman says he’ll give up pay if government shuts down

PHOENIX — There’s an old saying that if you’re good at something, don’t do it for free. What if something you’re partly responsible for doing doesn’t get done, should you not be paid?

That’s seemingly the philosophy Arizona Congressman Tom O’Halleran expressed on Monday when he said if Congress isn’t able to pass a spending bill and avoid a government shutdown, then he will give up the money he’d be making during it.

“Congress must work together to fund the government and ensure that millions of Americans will receive the services they rely on every day,” O’Halleran said on his website. “I am committed to working across the aisle to find a bipartisan solution to this funding crisis. If Congressional leaders cannot reach a bipartisan consensus before the end of the week, I will forgo my pay during the shutdown.”

The government is only days away from a shutdown.

The $1 trillion catch-all legislation for the remainder of the 2017 budget year is leftover business from last year and comes due Friday at midnight.

Without action before then, the government will partially shut down Saturday, which happens to be the 100th day of Trump’s presidency.

Will that happen? Lawmakers do not expect a shutdown.

Instead, a very short-term extension at existing funding levels is likely. Such “continuing resolutions” are familiar on Capitol Hill when Congress needs a little more time to complete its business.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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