Freshman Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, came under fire from a fellow member of Congress after pledging to forgo his pay as long as the government shutdown continues.
“If Houston’s hardworking federal workers aren’t getting paid, then I shouldn’t be paid either,” Crenshaw posted to Twitter Monday. “My pay will be withheld until the government reopens.”
Crenshaw then blamed the Democrats for the continuation of the shutdown, claiming that they could end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history by proposing a bill that had border security.
If Houston’s hardworking federal workers aren’t getting paid, then I shouldn’t be paid either. My pay will be withheld until the government reopens.
Democrats have still not put forth any border security proposals. They can end this right now, and secure our border. Win-win. pic.twitter.com/ve5hGi1txa
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) January 15, 2019
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., another freshman, pushed back on Crenshaw’s tweet, saying that the new congressmembers will not be paid until Feb. 1.
Ilhan, a Somali-American immigrant, put the blame back on Crenshaw and the GOP to vote for a bill that reopens the government, even if it doesn’t have border security funding.
“Vote to reopen the government like we did & give hardworking Fed employees their paychecks,” Ilhan tweeted on Monday night to Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who lost one of his eyes in an explosion. “Stop with the virtue signaling Congressaman (sic), the American people need this to end now, not Feb 1st.”
But Crenshaw fired back, pointing to Democrats who have skipped pay during the shutdown. More than 70 members of Congress have said they will forgo their $174,000 salary until the shutdown ends and the 800,000 workers affected are paid.
“Can we have a serious discussion about border security now? That’d be great,” he tweeted.
To my Democrat colleagues who are also (rightfully) withholding your pay during the shutdown- your colleague @IlhanMN would prefer you stop virtue signaling and end the shutdown.
Can we have serious discussion about border security now? That’d be great. https://t.co/AndMg5SNUe
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) January 15, 2019
The government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, is in its fourth week.
Trump has said he would not sign a bill that doesn’t include money for a border wall, while Democratic leaders say they will not agree to a bill that includes the $5.7 billion in funding for a physical barrier at the southern border.
