Chris Burnett for Congress: No Budget, No Pay — Hold Congress Accountable

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                             November 3, 2025

Contact: Joshua Knaak

(585) 435-0477 / knaakjoshua60@gmail.com

GAITHERSBURG, MD: On Friday, October 31, 2025, Congressman Bryan Steil (R-WI-1)

introduced the Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act (H.R. 5891), legislation that would decrease the annual salary of Members of Congress during a government shutdown. Under the bill, for each day the shutdown persists, the payroll administrator of each chamber must withhold from Members’ pay an amount equal to the product of one day’s salary, calculated based on the Member’s annual pay rate as specified in section 601 (a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 and the total number of 24-hour pay periods the shutdown remains in effect.

Chris Burnett, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in Maryland's 6th Congressional District stated: “I’ve supported this idea from the beginning, Members of Congress shouldn’t get paid during a government shutdown and should remain in session until a budget is negotiated. Congress holds the “power of the purse” under the Constitution, and Members of Congress should stay in Washington, D.C., to fulfill this basic job. If citizens don’t get paid when they don’t show up for work, the same standard should apply to Congress.”

Chris Burnett is a retired Marine Corps officer and national security lawyer running for

Congress in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District.