The US Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution to withhold their pay during a government shutdown.
The resolution, adopted by voice vote, was authored by Republican Senator John Kennedy (LA).
“My resolution to stop senators’ pay during government shutdowns cleared a key procedural vote today, moving it one step closer to final passage,” Kennedy said on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the Thursday vote.
“Fair-minded Americans know senators should feel the pain of a shutdown with the American people,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy’s resolution suspends Senators’ pay during partial or full government shutdowns.
“It’s called shared sacrifice,” Kennedy said.
The Senators’ salaries will be held in an escrow account during a government shutdown, and once the shutdown is over, the lawmakers will get their money.
The resolution won’t take effect until the day after the midterm elections, Kennedy said.
WATCH:
My resolution to stop senators’ pay during government shutdowns cleared a key procedural vote today, moving it one step closer to final passage.
Fair-minded Americans know senators should feel the pain of a shutdown with the American people. pic.twitter.com/hI7maEtaIM
— John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) May 13, 2026
The Hill reported:
The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) to suspend senators’ pay during future government shutdowns, a new rule that could give lawmakers in the upper chamber a powerful incentive not to block funding bills ahead of key deadlines.
The Senate adopted the resolution by voice vote. It will 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.
The measure directs the secretary of the Senate to withhold all salary payments to senators if a government shutdown occurs. A senator would not lose his or salary as the money would be put in an escrow account. But the money would not be available to lawmakers while the government is shut down.
The resolution defines a shutdown as the lapse in funding for one or more federal agencies or departments — which means a partial government shutdown, such as Congress’s failure to fund the Department of Homeland Security for 76 days earlier this year, would result in senators not getting paid for weeks on end.
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