Florida’s Republican Representative Matt Gaetz has officially approached Catherine Szpindor, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the U.S. House of Representatives, submitting a formal request to have his salary retained until a resolution to fund the government is reached.
The government is facing an impending shutdown, with the deadline striking at midnight on October 1st, 2023, a situation first revealed by The Daily Caller upon obtaining Gaetz’s letter.
In his correspondence, Gaetz highlighted the ongoing deliberations and disputes regarding government funding, emphasizing his stance against the continuing disbursement of billions of dollars to Ukraine.
He urged the Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, to prioritize the passage of individual appropriations bills to prevent a governmental halt and maintain domestic funding.
Gaetz stated in his letter, “It is my understanding that pursuant to the Constitution, members of Congress will continue to receive their pay during a lapse in appropriations. Therefore, I am requesting that in the case of a lapse of appropriations beginning at 12:00 a.m. on October 1, 2023, my pay be withheld until legislation has taken effect to end such lapse in appropriations in its entirety.”
The Florida representative’s office clarified that this action was taken due to escalating discontent stemming from the House’s inability to enact substantive legislation.
“Over the last eight months, Rep. Gaetz has consistently pushed for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA-20) to keep his January promise and bring individual, single-subject spending bills to the House floor to be voted on with open amendments to avoid a shutdown,” Gaetz’s office stated.
“However, because this has not happened, the nation is facing a possible expiration of appropriations at the end of the week.”
