Senate Resolution to Withhold Pay for Lawmakers During Shutdown Gains Bipartisan Support

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Senate Resolution to Withhold Pay for Lawmakers During Shutdown Gains Bipartisan Support
Photo: PBS NewsHour
politics· A press review of 9 outlets
  1. Kennedy's resolution, which applies only to senators, would direct the secretary of the Senate to withhold lawmakers' pay until a shutdown is resolved. Effectively, their paychecks would be thrown into escrow while lawmakers hash out a deal to reopen the government.

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    PBS NewsHour

    Senators vote to withhold their own pay during future government shutdowns The bipartisan support for the measure comes at a time when federal closures have become longer and more frequent, frustrating lawmakers who say there should be punishment when Congress fails at its most basic legislative duty.

    The Hill

    Senate unanimously advances resolution suspending senators’ pay during shutdown The Senate on Wednesday unanimously voted to advance a resolution sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) to suspend senators’ pay during a government shutdown, something that could give lawmakers a powerful incentive not to shutter federal departments because of funding disputes in future years.   The resolution only applies to members of the Senate and does…

    Washington Examiner

    According to a press release, Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-LA) resolution, which required 60 votes to invoke cloture, would require the Senate to withhold pay from all senators during government shutdowns.

    ABC News

    The Senate unanimously moved the resolution forward in a 99-0 vote. In an unanimous 99-0 vote, the Senate on Wednesday advanced a resolution to withhold pay from senators during a government shutdown.

    Associated Press

    Senators approve withholding their own pay during government shutdowns WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators unanimously approved a resolution Thursday to withhold their pay during government shutdowns, an attempt to make federal closures financially painful for lawmakers after a string of record-breaking impasses in the past year.

    USA Today

    Under Kennedy's legislation, senators would receive back pay after shutdowns end. The resolution will take effect after November's midterm elections.

    Washington Times

    Senators voted unanimously on Wednesday to advance a measure to suspend their pay during any future government shutdown, after two record funding lapses in the span of a year.

    NBC News

    “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,” it states.

  2. With backing from both Schumer and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who moved the measure forward earlier this week, the resolution is expected to pass.

  3. The resolution, led by Sen. John Kennedy, applies only to the Senate, not the House. Because of constitutional requirements, it does not take effect until after the November midterm elections.

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    NBC News

    The resolution, offered by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., passed by voice vote and takes effect after the 2026 midterm elections. It does not need to pass the House or be signed into law.

    Washington Examiner

    He also clarified that S. Res. 526 is a resolution, not a bill, and would apply only to the United States Senate, not the House of Representatives.

From the margins

7 details only one outlet reported

Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.

  1. 01 USA Today

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  2. 02 Washington Examiner

    The House is not bound by the resolution, though companion legislation has been introduced there, too, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) previously told the Washington Examiner that he’ll “see what consensus we can build on it.”

  3. 03 NBC News

    It comes after repeated and record-long government shutdowns over the last 16 months as Congress failed to agree on funding bills, causing extended partisan finger-pointing.

  4. 04 Associated Press

    “Shutting down government should not be our default solution to our refusal to work out our issues and our differences,” said Sen. John Kennedy, the bill’s sponsor, in a floor speech Wednesday.

  5. 05 Fox News

    Both shutdowns led to real-world effects on Americans, particularly those traveling through the nation's airports, as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers went without pay during both record-shattering closures.

  6. 06 ABC News

    Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts did not vote on the resolution, which was introduced by Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana.

  7. 07 Washington Times

    Mr. Kennedy also would prefer for the resolution to take effect immediately, but said the 27th Amendment of the Constitution is clear that any effort from lawmakers to adjust their own salaries cannot take effect until after the next intervening election.

Assembled from 3 corroborated claims drawn from 9 independent outlets. Every passage above is taken verbatim — Dorothy doesn't paraphrase or summarize.

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Original Articles (14)