Senate Schedules Vote on Halting Pay for Lawmakers During Shutdowns

The Senate will soon vote on a measure to stop lawmakers from receiving pay during a government shutdown, as the threat of more closures grows.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., scheduled the vote on a resolution from Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., for Monday when the Senate returns. The plan would block senators' pay if another shutdown happens. Lawmakers have proposed several such measures to curb shutdowns or create pressure points against them.

Thune arranged the vote as Congress prepares to fund immigration operations for the next three and a half years, following the latest shutdown.

Kennedy said he pressed Thune to bring the measure forward. "He did it, and I think he’s a fine American," Kennedy said.

Shutdowns have emerged as a frequent tactic over the past year and a half, with Democrats using them in negotiations. In President Donald Trump’s second term, Congress has faced shutdown threats four times. Those standoffs produced the longest full shutdown in history and the longest partial closure ever.

Some Republicans fear Democrats will resort to the tactic again before the November midterm elections. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., called Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats "legislative terrorists" who see political gain in forcing closures.

Schmitt said the next threat could involve Immigration and Customs Enforcement or another issue. "It'll be something else, and then we'll just shut the whole thing down, and we should not, you know, let them do that," Schmitt said. "So I think we ought to have some plans in place to account for that, to make it painful for them if they want to do that, because the American people suffer on it."

Kennedy is not alone in his efforts. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., promotes his Shutdown Fairness Act, which would ensure pay for working federal employees during a shutdown.

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., backs the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act, which would provide automatic two-week funding extensions until Congress reaches a deal. "We need to pass it so we never have a moment like this again," Lankford told Fox News Digital. "We will have disagreements. It's America, but we should not have federal workers, programs that stop because we're having a disagreement. Let's have the fight. But let's keep going."