Corker Cosponsors Bill to Protect Compensation for Military, Signs "No Budget, No Pay' Pledge

Press Release

U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., is cosponsoring legislation to protect pay and benefits for military personnel in the event of a federal government shutdown.

The Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act, S. 724, sponsored by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, would guarantee pay for all military, Coast Guard and Reserve personnel during a government closure and grant the Defense Department appropriate flexibility to provide similar security for civilian workers. (Planning guidance issued by the Department of Defense for its employees, including active duty and forward deployed forces, would require designated personnel to report to duty during a government closure while causing a temporary disruption in pay until Congress restores funding for the department.)

"Our men and women in uniform should not be penalized by Washington's inability to set priorities, live within our means and address our nation's mounting fiscal challenges," Corker said. "These Americans are charged with keeping us safe every day, and providing this guarantee of compensation is the right thing to do."

Also on Thursday, Corker, who has never accepted his Senate salary, signed a "No Budget, No Pay" pledge circulated by Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., which states: "If the government shuts down, I will forego my congressional salary until we reach an agreement. I will donate my salary to charity or return it to the Treasury until the government works again."

Since day one in the Senate, Corker's salary has gone directly to the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga which distributes it to various charities.

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