Senators approved a bipartisan resolution to withhold their pay during future government shutdowns, with funds held in escrow for later payment.
A new push to make government shutdowns harder to use as leverage advanced Thursday when Senators unanimously approved a resolution to go without pay during future shutdowns.
The bipartisan vote is designed to discourage lawmakers from blocking or stalling funding bills. especially as deadlines near and negotiations heat up.. Its intent is straightforward: if shutdowns start. lawmakers who control endgame timing would face a personal financial consequence. rather than treating a funding lapse as a political tactic with limited immediate cost.
The decision comes as shutdowns have become far more frequent in recent years.. Five shutdowns have occurred over the last 13 years, with four happening during President Donald Trump’s two administrations.. That track record has helped shape urgency among lawmakers who say the country’s repeated disruptions are becoming normal rather than exceptional.
The latest partial shutdown followed the failure to fund the Department of Homeland Security. leaving TSA agents and other federal employees without pay.. That shutdown lasted 76 days and ended on April 30. underscoring how quickly the impact of federal budget fights can reach the people responsible for public services.
Under the new resolution, which was adopted by voice vote, the Senate’s pay rules during shutdowns would change starting after the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The plan gives the secretary of the Senate the authority to withhold Senators’ pay during any shutdown period.
Even though Senators would not have access to the withheld money during the shutdown itself, their salaries would not be lost. The resolution keeps the funds in escrow so that full pay would resume after the shutdown ends, or after multiple shutdowns if they occur consecutively.
The resolution’s language matters because it defines a shutdown as a lapse in funding for one or more federal agencies or departments.. That means a partial shutdown can trigger the pay-withholding rule, not just a full government stoppage.. In practice. it would apply to scenarios like the earlier DHS funding breakdown that left parts of the federal government operating without pay for an extended period.
Sen.. John Kennedy (R-LA). who sponsored the resolution. argued that “shutting down government should not be our default solution” when lawmakers refuse to resolve disputes through regular negotiation.. His remarks highlighted a broader frustration with using shutdowns as a fallback when compromise proves difficult.
Kennedy also raised concerns that Senate Democrats could be tempted to pursue another shutdown around the election period in a way that could create chaos before the midterms.. He did not suggest any specific timing or plan beyond that warning. but his comments made clear that the resolution is meant to reduce incentives tied to election-year calculations.
Asked why the approach was limited to the Senate and not extended to the House, Kennedy pointed to the difference in how the two chambers operate, saying the House’s business is the House’s business.
As the resolution takes effect after the midterm election. it sets up a new test for lawmakers’ bargaining strategies in future budget negotiations.. With Senators’ pay connected—at least temporarily—to whether agencies lose funding. the policy could alter how aggressively lawmakers press for leverage close to deadlines. while still leaving federal employees to bear the operational consequences of any shutdown in the first place.
government shutdown Senate resolution withheld pay escrow salaries TSA agents midterm elections
so they still GET the money tho lol what even is this
wait so they voted to not pay themselves but they still get paid at the end anyway?? thats not really a punishment then is it. my landlord doesnt do escrow when i miss rent he just charges me late fees. this is such a joke honestly i dont know why people act like this is some big deal.
this is literally all because of biden letting the border stay open and now the TSA has no money and people are just now figuring it out. i read that the shutdown was like 76 days long which is insane. nobody in my family could go 76 days without a paycheck but senators can just put it in escrow or whatever and act like nothing happened. the whole system is rigged and has been for a long time, my dad used to say that and i thought he was being dramatic but now i totally get it. they pass stuff like this to make it look like they care but nothing actually changes ever.
four shutdowns under trump and people still voted for him again i genuinely cannot understand this country sometimes