Some of Missouri's House members, including Republicans Vicky Hartzler of the 4th District and Jason Smith of the 8th District have requested that their salaries be withheld until the government shutdown ends.
Hartzler sent a letter to Dan Strodel, the House's chief administrative officer, asking that she not be paid during the shutdown, while Smith addressed his colleagues from the House floor.
Republican Senator Roy Blunt, though, told reporters today he thought that idea of congressmembers refusing their pay during the shutdown was irrelevant to the debate.
"I don't think it matters at all, and I think it's a silly conversation to have," he said. "But if people want to give their pay back, and they'd rather talk about that as the big problem the Congress faces, they certainly have every right in the world to do that."
