WASHINGTON — Rep. Andy Kim became the latest member of Congress to announce he would not take a pay check while the government remains closed.

“As a former federal employee who worked through a previous shutdown, I stand with our workers and their families by not taking a paycheck until they get paid,” said Kim, D-3rd Dist.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., also is not accepting her $174,000 salary as the partial government shutdown continues into its third week.

And Rep. Jeff Van Drew, D-2nd Dist., introduced legislation to pay those serving in the Coast Guard and working for the Federal Aviation Administration

House Democrats on Thursday passed two more spending bills to reopen the government, but most Republicans voted to keep the government closed. Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., broke with his party and voted for both measures, which would have funded the Agriculture, Transportation and Housing departments.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has refused to allow a vote on those bills, virtually identical to the ones the Senate passed in December before President Donald Trump said he would not sign any legislation that did not also include more than $5 billion to build a southern border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for.

He blocked new efforts by Senate Democrats to bring the spending bills to the floor on Thursday.

Today I went to the Senate floor and requested unanimous consent to #EndTheShutdown.@SenateMajLdr objected. "The president won't sign off."



The last time I checked the Constitution, we were a co-equal branch of government with the power to override vetoes. Let's act like it. pic.twitter.com/8sTwidK7li — Senator Ben Cardin (@SenatorCardin) January 10, 2019

In retaliation, Senate Democrats have moved to block any other legislation until McConnell allows votes to reopen the government.

That prevented a vote for a second day on legislation to strengthen the U.S.-Israel security relationship and oppose the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. The measure failed to get the 60 votes needed to move to debate.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., a strong supporter of Israel, was one of only four Democrats to vote to proceed. He also supported the earlier failed effort to bring the bill to the Senate floor when most of his colleagues opposed it.