Several military veterans serving in Congress are criticizing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., for avoiding questions about whether he would forgo his salary while federal workers go unpaid during the ongoing government shutdown.
Reps. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, and Tom Barrett, R-Mich.—all U.S. Army veterans—announced they would decline their congressional paychecks for the duration of the shutdown, citing solidarity with service members and other affected federal employees. The lawmakers accused Jeffries of stalling when asked to make the same commitment.
As the shutdown entered its fifth week, Jeffries was pressed on CNN about whether he would defer his pay in light of TSA agents and other federal employees working without compensation. “I’ll be commenting on that shortly,” he replied, sidestepping the question.
Jeffries’ office initially did not provide a comment, but a spokesperson later told Fox News Digital that he would forgo his November paycheck. On Friday evening, following criticism from Republican veterans, Jeffries clarified, “I made clear to my constituents that my check will be withheld.” The spokesperson declined to say whether Jeffries had already received his paycheck earlier in October.
Just a day earlier, Jeffries told CNN, “I understand the sacrifice that people are making, including Capitol Police officers here, and I’m going to conduct myself accordingly given that sacrifice.” When pressed if that meant he would defer his pay, he added, “Well, I’ll have more to say about that shortly, but I think consistent with the values that I just articulated.”
Evans, a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot, called Jeffries’ hesitation an “insult to Americans,” saying it “reiterates their unserious and irresponsible legislating and proves how out of touch they are from those they are supposed to serve.”
“As a former cop and soldier who still lives paycheck to paycheck, I understand firsthand the severity and impact that this Democrat-led shutdown has caused our country to endure, and is why I’ve chosen to defer my pay and stand in solidarity with every federal employee who misses a paycheck until the Democrats decide to work with Republicans to reopen our government,” Evans told Fox News Digital.
He continued, “While thousands of dedicated and hardworking Americans continue to work tirelessly without a paycheck to keep America safe and running, Democrats continue to be noncommittal when asked about deferring their own pay amid the government shutdown.”
Miller-Meeks, a retired lieutenant colonel, added that if Jeffries “cared half as much about working families as he does about his own salary, the government would already be open.” She said, “While 42 million Americans face losing their SNAP benefits and our troops go unpaid, Hakeem Jeffries is still cashing a paycheck.”
Barrett, a 22-year Army veteran, echoed those sentiments, saying, “Hakeem Jeffries is so out of touch that he thinks he should be compensated for shutting down the government and causing the American people to suffer. This type of hypocrisy is exactly what I came to Washington to fight against. It’s time for him to drop this ‘rules for thee and not for me’ attitude and make a decision: pay our federal employees or pass on his paycheck like the rest of us.”
