With the federal government shut down, members of Congress from New Jersey are each deciding whether to accept their pay and how many staff to furlough.
My full story on the delegation’s decisions is available at northjersey.com, and the table below has details for each member.
| Lawmaker | Are you taking your salary during the shutdown? | Have you furloughed any staff during the shutdown? |
| SENATORS | ||
| Bob Menendez (D) | YES. Spokeswoman Tricia Enright: “Senator Menendez voted to keep the federal government open and he pledges to make sure that every government employee gets paid, just as he is. He’s working in the Senate holding committee hearings, meetings, and advocating on behalf of New Jersey families and businesses. And he will be on the job fighting to ensure Tea Party Republicans recognize it too is their job to keep the government running – like it or not.” | YES. Enright: “We have four of 19 staff in New Jersey and 12 of 26 here in DC. Legislative assistants and I have been rotating to answer the phones so we can hear from constituents.” |
| Jeffrey Chiesa (R) | YES. | NO. Spokesman Ken Lundberg: “The number of employees we have on is only one-third of a typical Senate office and they are all performing their duties, but with the additional responsibility of closing out this office in preparation for the upcoming transition.” |
| Lawmaker | Are you taking your salary during the shutdown? | Have you furloughed any staff during the shutdown? |
| HOUSE DEMOCRATS | ||
| Rob Andrews | YES. Andrews: “The rule is federal employees who are working should be paid. We should be held to the same rule. If we want to consider a rule that we not be paid during it, we should put up a bill and vote for it.” | NO. Andrews: “If members are doing something that affects security or public safety or important issues like that, they should work. The people who call my office back home or are calling about getting their Medicare benefits or their student loan or needing a place to live, I think that’s pretty important.” |
| Frank Pallone | DEPENDS. “We should be paid as the other federal employeees if and when the other federal employees are paid. … We have to see what happens in the next few weeks. We don’t get paid again until Nov. 1. Everyone was paid on Oct. 1.” | NO. Spokesman Ray Zaccaro: “He will continue to keep all Sixth District offices fully staffed and operational during this period as well. Congressman Pallone believes that it is critical that assistance continues to be available for constituents, particularly when so many government agencies are currently unable to offer full services.” |
| Albio Sires | UNSURE. Spokeswoman Erica Daughtrey: “As of now he’s leaning toward withholding his pay, but he wants to see what progress there is over the next few days before making his final decision. He’s in Washington trying to bring this to a conclusion.” | NO: Daughtrey: “All staff has been declared essential personal and both DC and district offices are functioning as business as usual.” |
| Bill Pascrell Jr. | NO. Pascrell: “If other public employees’ salaries are withheld, then I’m no different than anybody else. I’m not here to take pay home. That’s not the reason why I’m here.” | NO. Pascrell: “All of them are essential as far as I’m concerned and that’s what I’ve presented. Many of the federal agencies can take the calls. And we have work to do with our casework, people come in. People don’t stop hurting with their personal problems, whether they’re veterans, Medicare recipients, Medicaid reicipients, immigration problems. That doesn’t end because we can’t come to an agreement.” |
| Donald Payne Jr. | YES. Payne: “I have a family to raise. I have triplets in school and unlike some members on the other side of the aisle, I’m not a millionaire.” | NO. Payne: “My staff is considered essential. All my staff is essential. We’re going to continue to serve the American people, that’s what we were sent to do and that’s what I’m committed to do.” |
| Rush Holt | YES. Holt: “I’ve been working to keep the government operating and serving people. If anyone who voted for this shutdown wishes to dock his or her own pay as punishment, by all means, go ahead. For my part, I’d rather put the government back to work.” | NO. Holt: “The three-quarters of a million people in the 12th Congressional District have many ongoing needs and concerns, and Republican intransigence about a government shutdown hasn’t changed that. I and my staff are continuing to work to address their needs.” |
| Lawmaker | Are you taking your salary during the shutdown? | Have you furloughed any staff during the shutdown? |
| HOUSE REPUBLICANS | ||
| Frank LoBiondo | NO. LoBiondo: “My first responsibility to my constituents was to demonstrate that I believe I should live the way they do. With so many furloughed employees from the [Federal Aviation Administraton] tech center and the rest of the district, I did not think it was fair to accept my salary when they were not. It’s not fair for me to be doing this if they have to suffer.” | YES. Spokesman Jason Galanes: “We have furloughed more than half of our Washington, DC and Mays Landing offices. We’ve kept people to answer phones.” |
| Jon Runyan | NO. Runyan: “I put the letter in to hold my pay, yes.” | No response. |
| Chris Smith | YES. Smith: “I’m working 14 hours a day.” | YES. Smith: “A few part-timers. But several people are working. … They do a mammoth amount of intake. The moment somebody calls and we’re closed, it’s that much further behind they are. Sometimes we have these things that are very urgent. Not always. But we’re taking it all in.” |
| Scott Garrett | NO. Garrett: “We have sent a letter to the appropriate people to not be taking the pay during this time.” | YES. Garrett: “We’ve already furloughed most of the people in the district and several of the people here in DC. District staffs’ primary responsibility is to hear from constituents saying, ‘Hey, can you solve this problem with a government agency?’ … But there’s nobody at the government agency right now to take the phone call, so it seems that made sense, they’re nonessential at that point. … The calls will be forwarded from Glen Rock.” |
| Leonard Lance | NO. Spokesman John Byers: “He is not taking his pay.” | YES: Byers: “Westfield and Washington are open with reduced staffing. We are trying to best maintain constituent services. The Congressman has maintained his constituent meeting schedule and constituents should still call or visit with questions or concerns.” |
| Rodney Frelinghuysen | NO. Spokesman Steve Wilson: “Congressman Frelinghuysen has asked the House CAO to suspend his pay for the duration of the shutdown.” | YES: Wilson: “Over 50 percent of Congressman Frelinghuysen’s staff in Washington and New Jersey are currently on furlough.” |
