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Senators withhold pay
The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to withhold senators’ paychecks during future government shutdowns, following record funding lapses that affected federal agencies.
“Senators voted Thursday to withhold their paychecks during future government shutdowns”
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said on the Senate floor this week, “This is about shared sacrifice,” and “This is about putting our money where our mouth is.”
The measure follows a record 43-day funding lapse last fall that affected all federal agencies, and it comes as Congress also prompted a brief partial government shutdown beginning in late January and allowed funding to lapse for the Department of Homeland Security for another 76 days this year.
Kennedy predicted another funding lapse when federal cash expires at the beginning of October, and he said he was “very concerned” Democrats would try to shut down the government again right before the election to “create chaos to affect the midterm elections.”
Unanimous support, legal limits
The Senate adopted the resolution by voice vote, with USA Today saying it passed basically unanimously by voice vote, with no lawmakers objecting to it.
ABC News reported the legislation was adopted by unanimous consent and would not take effect until after the November 2026 election, instructing the secretary of the Senate to place senators’ paychecks on hold during the duration of any future federal government shutdowns.
ABC News also said the Senate resolution does not need to be passed by the House or signed by President Donald Trump, while it noted that House action on similar bills remains unclear.
NewsNation said the measure would go into effect after the November midterm election so it could apply to a potential end-of-year government shutdown, but not if one occurs ahead of the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year.
Pressure on shutdowns
The resolution is designed to make shutdowns financially painful for lawmakers, with ABC News describing how senators’ pay would be released only after the government reopens.
“Senators will now go without pay during future shutdowns in a bid to instill the same pain on lawmakers”
Fox News said the upper chamber unanimously passed the measure to prevent senators from being paid in the event of a shutdown, arguing it could thwart future closures by making the consequences real for lawmakers.
Kennedy tied the proposal to the two shutdowns that left federal workers unpaid, saying, “Last October, we shut down the government for 43 days. That is the longest shutdown in history.”
Fox News added that the resolution applies only to senators and would direct the secretary of the Senate to withhold lawmakers’ pay until a shutdown is resolved, with paychecks effectively put into escrow while lawmakers hash out a deal to reopen the government.
