U.S. Representative Juan Ciscomani of Arizona’s 6th District has requested that his congressional salary be withheld during the ongoing federal government shutdown. In a letter addressed to the Chief Administrative Officer for the U.S. House of Representatives, Ciscomani stated that he would not accept his pay until Congress passes legislation to fund the government and end the shutdown.
This action comes as Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) told NBC News that he could not afford to go without his paycheck during the shutdown. Gallego said, “I’m not wealthy, and I have three kids. I would basically be missing, you know, mortgage payments, rent payments, child support… So it’s not feasible, not gonna happen.”
Ciscomani criticized Gallego’s stance: “Senator Gallego should be ashamed of himself,” said Ciscomani. “We represent thousands of federal government employees – men and women in our Armed Forces, the Border Patrol, air traffic controllers and many, many others. They, too, have mortgage payments, rent payments and child support. This shutdown isn’t ‘feasible’ for them, either. Senator Gallego’s response to this shutdown is an embarrassment. It’s selfish. He should be leading by example, not thinking of himself.”
Juan Ciscomani was elected to represent Arizona’s 6th district in Congress after defeating Kirsten Engel in both the 2022 and 2024 general elections with narrow margins. He succeeded Ann Kirkpatrick in 2023 as the district’s representative.
Links were provided by Ciscomani for those interested in reading his full letter or seeing his response on X.
