Democrats are facing growing backlash — and this time, it’s coming from some of the most respected voices in Congress: America’s veterans. Several Republican lawmakers who proudly served in uniform are torching Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for continuing to collect paychecks while keeping thousands of U.S. service members and federal workers in limbo amid the ongoing government shutdown.
The shutdown, which has stretched on for weeks, has left critical government functions underfunded — yet lawmakers like Jeffries and Schumer are still getting paid in full. Meanwhile, active-duty military members are expected to keep working, defending the nation without knowing when their next paycheck will arrive.
The hypocrisy hasn’t gone unnoticed. A growing number of veterans in Congress — including Reps. Gabe Evans (R-CO), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), and Tom Barrett (R-MI) — are publicly calling out the Democrat leadership for refusing to suspend their own salaries while soldiers and working Americans bear the brunt of the shutdown.
“It’s an insult to Americans,” said Rep. Gabe Evans, a former Army Black Hawk pilot and police officer. Speaking to *Fox News Digital*, Evans blasted Jeffries’ evasive response to a simple question from CNN about whether he would forgo his pay during the shutdown. Jeffries dodged the question, saying only, “I’ll have more to say about that shortly.”
Evans didn’t mince words. “That just reiterates their unserious and irresponsible legislating and proves how out of touch they are from those they are supposed to serve,” he said. “As a former cop and soldier who still lives paycheck to paycheck, I understand firsthand the impact this Democrat-led shutdown has caused. That’s why I’ve chosen to defer my pay and stand in solidarity with every federal employee who misses a paycheck until the Democrats decide to work with Republicans to reopen our government.”
The shutdown began after Democrats refused to approve a “clean” Continuing Resolution (CR) — a straightforward funding bill with no partisan riders — unless it included billions in taxpayer dollars for healthcare coverage for illegal immigrants. Republicans rejected the demand, arguing that America’s own citizens should come first.
Rep. Miller-Meeks, a retired lieutenant colonel who served in the Army for 24 years, was equally outraged by Jeffries’ refusal to give up his salary. “While 42 million Americans face losing their SNAP benefits and our troops go unpaid, Hakeem Jeffries is still cashing a paycheck,” she said. “That tells you everything you need to know about where his priorities lie.”
Rep. Tom Barrett, a 22-year Army veteran from Michigan, said the entire situation exposed the hypocrisy of Democratic leadership. “Hakeem Jeffries is so out of touch that he thinks he should be compensated for shutting down the government and causing the American people to suffer,” Barrett told *Fox News Digital*. “This is exactly what I came to Washington to fight against — rules for thee, not for me. It’s time for him to make a decision: pay our federal employees, or pass on his paycheck like the rest of us.”
While Democrats play politics, Republicans have been working to pass a CR that would reopen the government without stuffing it full of left-wing wish-list spending. Yet Schumer and Jeffries continue to hold the line, prioritizing illegal aliens over struggling American families and service members.
It’s a stunning example of Washington arrogance — politicians cashing taxpayer-funded paychecks while demanding that soldiers, cops, and civil servants “wait it out.”
As Rep. Evans put it bluntly, “Thousands of dedicated Americans are working without pay to keep this country safe and running, while Democrats refuse to do their jobs. That’s not leadership — that’s cowardice.”
For many Americans watching this shutdown unfold, the message is clear: when Democrats say they “stand with the working class,” they don’t mean the ones wearing the uniform.
