So how come Congress gets paid?

"How come Congress gets paid during the shutdown?  They're the ones that caused it in the first place, so they shouldn't get paid!"

I feel your pain.  And I agree with you. 

However, this article in the Washington Post explains why Congress still gets paid during a shutdown, while other federal workers don't.

According to the Post article, "the government shutdown only affects agencies and employees that are funded through annual appropriations. But that doesn't apply to members of Congress. Salaries for members of the House and Senate are written into permanent law. (Members in both chambers currently make $174,000 a year.) That's why politicians get paid even in the event that Congress can't agree on a bill to fund the government."

So one of the reasons Congress still gets paid is due to permanent law.
Another reason is the 27th Amendment to the Constitution.  That amendment, part of the Constitution since 1992, "specifically says that the salaries of the House and Senate can't be altered until the start of a new term. The idea was to prevent members of Congress from handing themselves a raise before an election took place."

At least one member of Congress, Rep. Gary Peters of Michigan, is donating his salary to charity during the shutdown.  Two Senators, Barbara Boxer and Bob Casey, have a bill that would prevent Congress from getting paid during a shutdown.

I agree with a Facebook friend who says it's shameful that Congress can still draw a paycheck while other federal employees can't.  But it's in the law and in the Constitution.  So until both of those change, Congress still gets paid.

Unfortunately.

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.