Senate Unanimously Passes Resolution to Withhold Senators' Pay During Shutdowns

The Senate unanimously passed a resolution to withhold senators' pay during future government shutdowns. The measure seeks to impose the same financial hardship on lawmakers that federal workers endured in recent months.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., sponsored the resolution. He called withholding pay a shared sacrifice after tens of thousands of federal employees missed paychecks during two shutdowns since last year.

"Last October, we shut down the government for 43 days. That is the longest shutdown in history. And we had FBI agents, national park rangers, CDC scientists, our staff here in Congress — nobody was getting paid," Kennedy said on the Senate floor.

"And then, three months later, after we finally got out of that 43-day shutdown, we shut down the Department of Homeland Security. It was shut down for 76 days. This is all in one year," he continued. "We ought to hide our heads in a bag. It’s got to stop."

Both shutdowns disrupted Americans, especially air travelers, as Transportation Security Administration workers went unpaid during the record-length closures.

The resolution directs the secretary of the Senate to hold senators' pay in escrow until a shutdown ends. A rank-and-file senator earns $174,000 annually, while party leaders make more than $193,000.

Lawmakers have pursued other steps to deter shutdowns or ease their effects. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has a bill supported by federal labor unions to guarantee pay for federal workers during shutdowns. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., proposes automatically extending funding for two weeks at a time to avoid closures.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., backed the resolution. Republicans doubt Democrats will refrain from shutdown threats before the midterm elections. The measure takes effect after November, so it would not apply to the current cycle.