Daily Herald: U.S. Rep. Bill Foster to donate salary during shutdown

Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville on Friday announced he’ll donate the congressional pay he receives during the federal government shutdown to the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Foster, who represents the 11th District, took the same action during government shutdowns in 2013 and 2019.

Members of Congress are paid $174,000 annually, dished out as $14,500 per month. Foster intends to cut a check to the food bank once the shutdown ends, a spokesperson said.

The nonprofit, Geneva-based food bank provides 250,000 meals a day to people in 13 counties. It has distribution centers in Geneva, Lake Forest, Rockford and Joliet.

Foster used his announcement to take swipes at Republican lawmakers.

“It is unacceptable that federal employees are going without a paycheck, health insurance costs are skyrocketing, and families are seeing SNAP benefits threatened, while House Republicans stay out on vacation and refuse to come back to Washington and negotiate a bipartisan funding bill,” Foster said in the news release.

The 11th District encompasses portions of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, DeKalb and Boone counties.