Senators approve withholding their own pay during government shutdowns
[May 15, 2026]
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MARY CLARE JALONICK
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators unanimously approved a resolution Thursday to
withhold their pay during government shutdowns, an attempt to make
federal closures financially painful for lawmakers after a string of
record-breaking impasses in the past year.
The bipartisan support for the measure comes at a time when federal
closures have become longer and more frequent, frustrating lawmakers who
say there should be punishment when Congress fails at its most basic
legislative duty.
Under the resolution, senators’ pay would be withheld by the secretary
of the Senate whenever a government shutdown affects one or more
agencies, then released once funding is restored. It will take effect
the day after the Nov. 3 general election and does not apply to the
House.
“Shutting down government should not be our default solution to our
refusal to work out our issues and our differences,” said Sen. John
Kennedy, the bill’s sponsor, in a floor speech Wednesday.
“This is about putting our money where our mouth is,” said Kennedy,
R-La.
Two shutdowns in the past year created significant financial hardship
for tens of thousands of federal workers, particularly at the Department
of Homeland Security. The department reopened last month after a 76-day
partial shutdown, the longest agency funding lapse in history.
The DHS shutdown came just a few months after a 43-day lapse of the
entire federal government, which was the longest such closure on record.
The Constitution stipulates that lawmakers must be paid so they have
received salaries during shutdowns even as federal workers went without
paychecks. When the full government shutdown began in October amid a
dispute over health care subsidies, Sen. Lindsey Graham proposed a
constitutional amendment to require members to forfeit their paychecks
when the government is closed.
[to top of second column]
|
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., speaks during the Senate Subcommittee on
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing on Fiscal
Year 2027 Budget Request for the FBI, the Drug Enforcement
Administration; the United States Marshals Service and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Capitol Hill, Tuesday,
May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
“If members of Congress had to forfeit their pay during government
shutdowns, there would be fewer shutdowns and they would end
quicker,” Graham, R-S.C., said at the time.
Graham said his legislation was the most “constitutionally sound”
way to deal with the problem, but the process would have been much
more laborious as three-fourths of states must ratify an amendment.
Lawmakers in previous shutdowns have often pledged to forgo their
paychecks while federal workers went unpaid. Senators earn an annual
salary of $174,000, but many are independently wealthy.
Kennedy told reporters Wednesday that he pushed his measure to
ensure there is “shared sacrifice” during shutdowns. He added that
it does not go as far as he would like, but that it’s a start.
Asked why it does not extend to the other chamber of Congress,
Kennedy said “the House’s business is the House’s business” while
also touching on the tensions between the Senate and House.
“There’s a very strong undercurrent of animosity among some of my
friends in the House,” Kennedy said.
“It’s quickly becoming like two kids fighting in the back of a
minivan,” he said.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
