In the News

U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern donating congressional salary during shutdown

Tulsa World, Randy Krehbiel

Washington, January 3, 2019
New 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern said Thursday he’ll continue donating his pay to veterans groups as long as the current partial federal government shutdown remains unresolved.

“This is crazy,” Hern said by telephone. “Nobody runs a business this way.”

Thursday was the first day of the new 116th Congress, but because he filled a vacancy, Hern took office shortly after the Nov. 6 general election and thus served several weeks in the 115th Congress. Through Dec. 31, he’d earned about $5,000 in salary.

Hern spread that evenly among 10 veterans’ charities: Folds of Honor, Wounded Warrior Project, Blue Star Mothers of America–Broken Arrow, Blue Star Mothers of America–Tulsa, Blue Star Mothers of America–Bartlesville, Coffee Bunker, AMVETS, Green Country Veterans Association, Disabled American Veterans, Soldier’s Wish and the Military History Museum in Broken Arrow.

“I felt like the responsible thing to do, if I was going to receive those monies, was to donate them,” Hern said.

“I didn’t do this to call out anybody or embarrass anybody,” he said. “It was just what I thought I should do.”

Although members of Congress sometimes say they’re “refusing” their salaries, the U.S. Constitution specifies that all members must be paid, and that a sitting Congress — in this case, the 116th — cannot change its own pay.

Hern, during his brief time in Congress, has signed onto a constitutional amendment that would bar members from being paid during situations such as the current one.

Congressional pay can be donated to the federal treasury or to charity, and Hern said he decided on veterans organizations because he considered them worthy.

Asked if he considered donating to unions or organizations representing the 800,000 federal workers going unpaid during the shutdown, Hern said those people will be provided for eventually.

“I would be the first to say that doesn’t help them right now, though,” he said.

Hern said he has “no idea” how long the stalemate will continue.

“Until somebody blinks, it’s going to continue,” he said.