Senate Majority Leader Thune Supports Bill to Withhold Senator Pay During Government Shutdowns

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) endorsed legislation Tuesday that would prevent senators from receiving paychecks during a government shutdown. Thune told the Washington Examiner he committed to advancing the bill and securing a vote on it. He said he would support the legislation during the Senate's first procedural vote on Wednesday.

“It’s a resolution that applies just to the Senate, but frankly, I think it’s good policy,” Thune said, calling it an “additional incentive” to avoid future shutdowns. The two-page bill directs the secretary of the Senate to withhold senators’ pay until a lapse in government funding ends. It would take effect after the 2026 elections.

Washington Examiner reported that Kennedy’s legislation is designed to address the political optics of lawmakers receiving paychecks while their staffers and other federal workers go without pay. The circumstance of lawmakers receiving pay during shutdowns stems from both a quirk in the Constitution and a permanent allocation for lawmakers’ salaries dating back to 1983. Sen.

John Kennedy (R-LA) has pressed leadership to call a vote on the legislation during the last two government shutdowns. It came up again as the Senate began preparing to pass an immigration funding bill that would fully reopen the Department of Homeland Security. The measure cleared the Senate Rules Committee unanimously in December.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) blocked Sen. John Kennedy’s attempt to pass the legislation by unanimous consent in November. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) blocked Sen.

Another measure from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) would require federal workers receive pay during a shutdown if they are considered “essential” workers. President Donald Trump previously assured Sen. Ron Johnson he’d try to get the legislation through Congress.

It has yet to be scheduled for a vote. Congress finished approving funding for everything except DHS and its sister agency, Customs and Border Protection, at the end of last month. Both parties have traded blame for the current shutdown, centered on Democrats’ refusal to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement without substantial reforms to officer conduct.

Republicans are currently using a party-line budget process known as reconciliation to provide three years of ICE funding.