Government Shutdown Threatens Congressional Pay

BILLINGS – If the government shuts down, will members of congress get paid? Sen. Jon Tester, a democrat from Montana, is one of several Senators backing legislation to stop paying salaries for congress and the president if a shutdown results. The legislation passed unanimously in the Senate, but has not been voted on by the House.

"My bottom line is: if you don't work, you don't get paid," Tester said in a phone interview with KULR-8, "If we can't do our work here to fund the government and come up with a common sense plan to fund the government for the next sixth months, we ought not be collecting pay while the government is shut down."

The House has passed legislation with similar language, but that bill requires the Senate to sign on to the House's budget proposal.