Why Does Congress and the President Still Get Paid During A Federal Government Shutdown?

Seriously. There are distinct rules around who has to work and who gets paid during a federal government shutdown.

Those federal employees deemed non-essential are laid off and don't get any compensation for the time that they don't work.

Essential federal employees are furloughed...meaning they still have to work but don't get paid until the shutdown is over. At that point, they get back pay for the time worked during the shutdown. These would include TSA, air traffic controllers, the FBI and such.

BUT Congress and the President still get paid.. WTF? considering that they are the actual cause of the shutdown. They are the ones who aren't doing their jobs. It isn't the federal employees who are at fault here. They are just pawns in the game. So why is Congress and the President still getting paid? And they are the ones who need the money least, right??

So first, vote ALL of the a**holes out and then demand that the new Congress vote to deny themselves pay or even back pay for a federal government shutdown in the future.