Members of Congress will have no dilemma about the future of their own finances this week because the 27th Amendment to the Constitution stipulates that their salaries cannot change until a congressional election has come and gone.
The 27th Amendment was originally hatched by the Founding Fathers to prevent Senators and House members from boosting their own salaries before an election. But the reality is that Congress is now the ONLY class explicitly protected by the Constitution from financial pain in the event that they themselves fail to fund regular government operations.
We are petitioning the White House to mandate Congress to join the millions of other "essential" government personnel, who will be required to work during the Shutdown without a salary.