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H First-year students are angry that their first weeks in power were marked by a record government shutdown and want to punish Congress for making sure this never happens again.
Two groups of first-year lawmakers introduced this week bills that would affect members of Congress where they are never hit: their own salary.
Reps. Jared Golden, Maine and Dan Crenshaw, Texas, proposed the law on solidarity in wages this week. This would have the effect of holding legislators' salaries during a closure and allowing them to be repaid only once the closure is complete, just like federal workers.
"Federal workers are not paid when the government closes, nor should politicians do it," Golden said. "It's just common sense."
"When a congressional impasse prevents federal employees from remaining unpaid, members of Congress should retain their pay," Crenshaw added. "We should feel the real effects of a closure, just as our federal government colleagues are forced to do."
They introduced their bill with two other first-year Democrats, Max Rose of New York and TJ Cox from California.
Bills like these are usually fraught with legal problems: the 27 An amendment to the Constitution states that changes in the remuneration of legislators can not take place before the convening of a new convention, which makes it difficult for a congress to punish itself.
The Golden-Crenshaw Bill attempts to solve this problem by providing for salary compensation. Enlistment during the closing, instead of destroying it completely.
Another group of freshmen, all Democrats, proposed the law on closing the door to end all closures. judgments, and would require daily quorum to keep legislators at work.
"The only elected officials who should suffer financial hardship when elected leaders can not govern are the elected leaders themselves," said Houlahan.
"I am proud to introduce a bill guaranteeing that federal negotiations will not hold federal workers hostage and that the game will be truly skinned for members of Congress and the President if they can not do their job, "added Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., one of two dozen Democrats in the House on the bill.
Houlahan's bill would block members of the current Congress, but he would refuse to pay legislators for future Congresses.
But it is not obvious that any of these ideas can become law. House Republicans vigorously opposed a resolution Wednesday that government closures are bad and should not be seen as a response to a political dispute.
Most Republicans rejected the non-binding resolution as an attempt by Democrats to blame President Trump for the 35-day closure that ended last week, raising the question of whether binding legislation Closures could be passed by the Senate led by the GOP.
[ Opinion: This closure caused us economic loss. Let's not take another]
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