House vets press Jeffries to forgo paychecks as shutdown drags on

SPECIAL: Veterans in Congress are criticizing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) for dodging questions about whether he would forego paychecks while government workers remain without pay due to the ongoing shutdown.

Reps. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, and Tom Barrett, R-Mich., who each serve in the U.S. Army, said they would forgo paychecks for the duration of the shutdown, citing concerns for American service members.

The three targeted Jeffries for not saying whether he would do the same.

As the government shutdown enters its fifth week, Jeffries was asked on CNN Wednesday night if he would delay paychecks during the shutdown because TSA agents and other federal employees have to work without pay. Jeffries sidestepped the question, saying, “I’ll comment on that shortly.”

AS LOCKDOWN FIGHTS INTENSE, JOHNSON REJECTS PRESSURE TO SET MILITARY PAYMENTS

“I understand the sacrifice that people have made here, including the Capitol Police officers, and I will act accordingly,” Jeffries added, to which the CNN host pressed, “So it looks like it’s a yes, are you going to delay your paycheck?”

Jeffries replied: “I’ll have more to say about that shortly, but I think it’s consistent with the values ​​I just expressed.”

In response, Evans, who served as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, called Jeffries’ escape an “insult to Americans”; this “merely reiterates their frivolous and irresponsible legislation and proves how far removed they are from the people they are supposed to serve.”

HOUSE GOP BLOCKS DEMS’ MILITARY PAY BILL AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREATENS CHECKS

Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., speaks during a Republican National Committee press conference following a meeting of the House Republican Conference on March 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. Republicans discussed their party’s priorities ahead of President Trump’s first joint address to Congress after returning to the White House. (Photo: Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)

“As a former cop and soldier who is still living paycheck to paycheck, I understand firsthand the severity and impact this Democrat-led shutdown has brought to our country, and that is why I have chosen to defer my paycheck and stand in solidarity with every federal employee who misses a paycheck until Democrats decide to work with Republicans to reopen our government,” Evans told Fox News Digital.

“Democrats remain neutral when asked about their own paycheck deferrals during the government shutdown, as thousands of dedicated and hard-working Americans continue to work tirelessly, paycheck to paycheck, to keep America safe and working,” he added.

Meeks, who retired as a lieutenant colonel, told Fox News Digital that if Jeffries “cared about working families half as much as he does his own salary, the government would already be open.”

“While 42 million Americans are in danger of losing their SNAP benefits and our troops remain unpaid, Hakeem Jeffries is still collecting his paycheck,” he said.

FLIGHT DELAYS GET WORSE AS FREE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS FEEL THE PAIN OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

A military member monitors the southern border. (Reuters)

“Hakeem Jeffries is so oblivious that he thinks he should be compensated for shutting down the government and causing the American people to suffer,” added Barrett, a 22-year veteran.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

“This kind of hypocrisy is exactly what I came to Washington to fight against,” he said. “It’s time for him to drop this ‘the rules are for you, not me’ attitude and make a decision: Pay our federal employees or pass on the paycheck like the rest of us.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries’ office for a response but did not receive a comment at the time of publication.