Senators Advance Resolution to Withhold Their Pay During Shutdowns

The U.S. Senate unanimously agreed to advance a resolution that would withhold the paychecks of all senators during future federal government shutdowns.

The proposal passed on a 99–1 cloture vote on May 13, with Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) not voting.

The resolution will move forward to a final Senate vote, which will likely pass due to the overwhelming support shown among lawmakers on Wednesday’s vote.

The rule is not a bill and won’t require approval from the House or a signature from President Donald Trump.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced the resolution in December 2025, saying it was about “shared sacrifice” with the federal workers who were forced to work without paychecks during shutdowns as paid lawmakers debated government funding on Capitol Hill.

“I know that hurts some senators more than others because some of them have houses that are bigger than Costcos,” Kennedy said while proposing the rule.

The resolution will go into effect in November 2026, after the midterm elections.

“Fair-minded Americans know senators should feel the pain of a shutdown with the American people,” Kennedy said from the Senate floor.

The pay delay will apply only to U.S. senators representing their state in Washington, D.C., if more than one federal government agency had a lapse in funding. Lawmakers in the U.S. House and state senates are not impacted.

“During any period in which a Government shutdown is in effect, the Secretary of the Senate shall disburse and hold any payments otherwise required to be made with respect to such period for the compensation of each Senator,” the resolution states.

U.S. senators, who make $174,000 per year, will be paid only after any potential future shutdown ends.

The Senate majority and minority leaders make $193,400 annually.

This move comes after a historic 43-day partial government shutdown that began on Oct. 1 and ended Nov. 12, 2025, impacting the wallets and livelihoods of federal workers and Americans across the country.

The political gridlock caused 1.25 million federal employees to miss multiple paychecks as they waited for lawmakers in Washington to agree on a funding bill that would reopen the government.

The shutdown also caused approximately 42 million people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to stop receiving all or some benefits after October until the government was funded.

A separate Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which started on Feb. 14, caused even more delays at airports across the country, as thousands of Transportation Security Administration agents called in sick and 500 others quit.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.