U.S. Senator JOHN KENNEDY (photo courtesy of John Kennedy)
Republican U.S. Senator John Kennedy is seeking to pass a resolution that says senators would not get paid during government shutdowns. Kennedy brought the resolution up on the Senate floor on Sunday as Department of Homeland Security employees are currently not getting paid. Kennedy says it’s about shared sacrifice.
“This is about sending a message to our colleagues at TSA and elsewhere in DHS, that we understand; that we’re trying to get government back open. But in the meantime, we’re going to try, in our small way, to share your experience,” Kennedy said.
The resolution needs unanimous consent from the Senate. But Democratic Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz objected to Kennedy’s unanimous consent request and immediately left the chamber, which stunned Kennedy.
“I want to give my Senator, my colleague, Senator Schatz, more time, as he objected and left the chamber. Is he’s coming back? Is he ill?” Kennedy asked.
The Senate parliamentarian told Kennedy that Senator Schatz did not need to be recognized to block the resolution from passing through unanimous consent. Kennedy says he plans to bring this resolution up for a vote again and if a Senator objects, they should explain their reasoning.
“If a member of this body disagrees with what I’m doing, then, by God, they ought to come down here and stand up in front of the United States Senate and stand up in front of the American people,” Kennedy said.
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