Manchin to donate salary during government shutdown to food banks
The federal government shutdown has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without a paycheck, while many lawmakers continue to collect their own. However, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, won't be one of them.
"If Congress cannot do our job, we should not get paid. I'm donating the salary I receive during the government shutdown to food banks across [West Virginia]," Machin tweeted Monday.
Manchin, the former governor of West Virginia, also donated his salary to Save the Children during the government shutdown in 2013, according to his website.
Senator Manchin is not the only member of Congress who will pass up a paycheck. At least 48 lawmakers in the House and Senate, split "about equally" between the two parties, have stated they will donate or refuse their pay during the shutdown, The Washington Post reported.
The shutdown does not appear to be ending anytime soon, with President Trump and Democratic leaders at odds over funding for the border wall. If the partial shutdown, which has been going on for 18 days, continues into Saturday it will become the longest in U.S. history.
