House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington, who represents Texas’s 19th district, has requested that his congressional salary be withheld during the ongoing government shutdown. Arrington stated that it is unfair for members of Congress to continue receiving pay while military servicemembers do not get paid during a lapse in government funding.
“I have been informed despite a lapse of government funding and the current shutdown, Members of Congress will continue receiving their salary,” said Chairman Arrington. “I find it fundamentally flawed that members of our military will not receive a paycheck during this time, yet we as their representatives are permitted to live under a different set of rules. Therefore, I request my pay be withheld until an appropriations agreement has taken effect.”
Arrington has served as the representative for Texas’s 19th district since 2016. He has consistently won re-election by large margins, including victories over Nathan Lewis in both the 2022 and 2024 general elections with more than 80 percent of the vote each time. In previous elections, he also defeated Tom Watson in 2020 and Miguel Levario in 2018 by significant margins.
