Some N.Y. lawmakers furlough staff, refuse to accept pay
WASHINGTON
Democratic U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand closed all their district offices in New York in response Tuesday to a deadlock over a stopgap spending bill that has led to a partial government shutdown.
Schumer furloughed three-quarters of his staff. Gillibrand furloughed 80 percent. Both senators have district offices in major cities around the state, including Rochester.
Some New York House members also furloughed at least half of their congressional staffs Tuesday, including Democratic Rep. Sean Maloney of Cold Spring and Republican Reps. Tom Reed of Corning, Chris Collins of Clarence in Erie County, Richard Hanna of Oneida County and Chris Gibson of Kinderhook.
Schumer, Collins and Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey of Westchester separately announced they would not accept any pay during the shutdown.
"As long as the shutdown remains in effect and hundreds of thousands of federal employees are not being paid, Congresswoman Lowey will be returning her salary to the United States Treasury,'' her spokesman said.
Meredith Kelly, a spokeswoman for Schumer, said Schumer will not accept a paycheck as long as the federal government is shut down.
Collins sent a letter Monday to House administration officials requesting that his pay be withheld for the length of the shutdown.
"The American people sent us to Washington to do a job," Collins said. "If we cannot live up to that obligation, we should not be taking a pay check, a pay check that is funded by the taxes paid by our fellow hardworking Americans."
Lowey and Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter of the Rochester area decided all their workers were essential and spared them from furloughs.
"Each member of the congresswoman's dedicated staff in Washington and Rochester contributes to her constitutional responsibilities and will continue to work but will not be paid until this partisan self-inflicted crisis has passed," Slaughter's spokesman, Eric Walker, said in an email. "Constituents have been calling with lots of questions about the new health care exchanges as well as the impact of the GOP's shutdown, and our offices will remain a resource for these individuals and their families."
Slaughter is the ranking member of the House Rules Committee.
Lowey, ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, made a similar argument.
"Congresswoman Lowey is ensuring that staff is available to help constituents who want to learn about the health exchange as it opens, as well as answer questions about how a shutdown may affect other services New Yorkers depend on," said spokesman Mark Prentice.
Reed, who closed his New York district offices and referred calls to Washington, had his Ithaca office picketed Tuesday by about 25 protestors.
Protester LeGrace Benson of Ithaca blamed Reed and other House Republicans for shutting the government down in a bid to delay implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
"I don't think that a very small, unhappy group of people should be able to hold the whole government hostage," Benson said.
BTUMULTY@Gannett.com
Includes reporting by Andrew Casler of the Ithaca Journal.