Senators approve withholding their own pay during government shutdowns

"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. 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."

"Under the resolution, senators' pay would be withheld by the secretary of the Senate whenever a government shutdown affects one or more agencies, then released once funding is restored. It will take effect the day after the Nov. 3 general election and does not apply to the House."

"Two shutdowns in the past year created significant financial hardship for tens of thousands of federal workers, particularly at the Department of Homeland Security. The department reopened last month after a 76-day partial shutdown, the longest agency funding lapse in history. The DHS shutdown came just a few months after a 43-day lapse of the entire federal government, which was the longest such closure on record."

"The Constitution stipulates that lawmakers must be paid so they have received salaries during shutdowns even as federal workers went without paychecks. When the full government shutdown began in October amid a dispute over health care subsidies, Sen. Lindsey Graham proposed a constitutional amendment to require members to forfeit their paychecks when the government is closed."

Senators unanimously approved a resolution to withhold their pay during government shutdowns. The measure aims to discourage future funding standoffs after longer and more frequent shutdowns. Under the resolution, the secretary of the Senate would withhold senators’ pay when a shutdown affects one or more agencies, and release it once funding is restored. The resolution takes effect the day after the Nov. 3 general election and does not apply to the House. Recent shutdowns caused financial hardship for tens of thousands of federal workers, including a 76-day partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security and a 43-day full government shutdown. The Constitution requires lawmakers to be paid, even when federal workers are not.

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