Sen. John Kennedy R-La. has introduced two bills aimed at halting Congress from receiving paychecks during the ongoing government shutdown, seeking to align their financial situation with that of federal workers missing pay. The first bill, ‘No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act,’ would suspend lawmakers’ salaries for each day the shutdown continues, mirroring the financial strain faced by federal workers who have missed or received partial paychecks. The second bill, ‘Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act,’ strategically circumvents the 27th Amendment by delaying payments until after the 2026 elections, thereby sidestepping the constitutional provision that prohibits changing pay during the current congressional term. Kennedy asserts that Congress should share the hardship of those impacted by the shutdown, emphasizing that their failure to govern effectively justifies such measures.
Other lawmakers, such as Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., have echoed these sentiments, advocating for lawmakers to forego pay as federal employees face financial distress. The proposals reflect a broader frustration among Republican lawmakers, who have introduced multiple bills and even a constitutional amendment to enforce this policy. These efforts highlight the deepening political tensions over the shutdown’s impact, as lawmakers seek to hold each other accountable for the economic hardship affecting essential workers.
Passing a constitutional amendment requires that two-thirds of the House and Senate advance the proposal and then be ratified by three-fourths of the states, making it a highly complex and unlikely process. While some lawmakers, like Sen. Bernie Moreno, have introduced bills that would impose a daily tax on Congressional pay, the focus remains on leveraging the shutdown to impose financial burdens on lawmakers. This legislative push underscores a growing divide within Congress, with Republican lawmakers seeking to address the shutdown’s consequences through various measures, including withholding pay, imposing taxes, or even altering the Constitution to achieve their goals.