In a strong show of accountability, Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, told Newsmax on Thursday that he will refuse his congressional paycheck during the ongoing government shutdown.
In an appearance on “National Report,” Husted said his announcement on Wednesday to stop taking paychecks for the duration of the shutdown was posted on his Senate page.
“If we’re not going to do our jobs and get the government funded so that men and women in the military and their families get paid … if we’re not going to pay them, then we in Congress shouldn’t accept our pay either,” Husted said.
He framed the move as a matter of moral leadership: Congress shouldn’t continue drawing a salary while vital public servants go unpaid.
“Maybe that will wake some of the Democrats up to come along with us and reopen this government,” Husted added. “Because … it’s just wrong.
“It’s wrong to not pay those people and us to receive pay.”
On the contentious subject of Obamacare subsidies — a central sticking point in funding negotiations — Husted offered a blunt assessment: Open up the government, then we’ll talk.
“This is not going to get fixed in a day. Obamacare is broken. It doesn’t work. It requires huge government subsidies because it was poorly constructed.”
He signaled openness to bipartisan talks but criticized the Democrat posture of do it our way or nothing as obstructionist, especially when proposals include sweeping new spending.
“I am all for having these discussions. But the Democrats just demanding that we do it their way, or no way is also not going to work either,” Husted said.
He added, “The only thing they’ve really offered is $1.5 trillion in new spending that would include healthcare for illegal immigrants and wouldn’t fix the broken system we have in this country with healthcare inflation.”
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