Senators Unanimously Approve Withholding Their Pay During Government Shutdowns: ‘putting Money Where Our Mouth Is’

In a uncommon show of bipartisan unity, senators person unanimously approved a solution to withhold their ain salaries during authorities shutdowns.

The move is simply a nonstop consequence to a bid of record-breaking national impasses complete nan past year, aiming to make early closures financially punitive for lawmakers themselves.

This measurement arrives arsenic national shutdowns have grown some longer and much frequent, sparking wide vexation among legislators who judge Congress should look consequences for failing its basal legislative duties.

Under nan recently passed resolution, senators’ salary will beryllium withheld by nan Secretary of nan Senate whenever a government shutdown impacts 1 aliases much agencies.

Their salaries will past beryllium released only erstwhile backing is afloat restored. The solution is group to return effect nan time aft nan November 3 wide election.

Sen John Kennedy, nan bill’s sponsor, articulated nan rationale successful a level speech. "Shutting down authorities should not beryllium our default solution to our refusal to activity retired our issues and our differences," he stated, adding, "This is astir putting our money wherever our rima is."

The urgency for specified a measurement stems from 2 important shutdowns successful nan past twelvemonth that inflicted sizeable financial hardship connected tens of thousands of national workers, peculiarly wrong nan Department of Homeland Security.

The DHS reopened past period aft a 76-day partial shutdown, marking nan longest agency backing lapse successful history. This followed intimately connected nan heels of a 43-day lapse of nan full national government, which itself was nan longest specified closure connected record.

Historically, nan Constitution mandates that lawmakers must beryllium paid, meaning they person continued to person their salaries during shutdowns moreover arsenic national workers went without paychecks.

During a afloat authorities shutdown successful October, amid a conflict complete healthcare subsidies, Senator Lindsey Graham projected a law amendment to compel members to forfeit their pay.

"If members of Congress had to forfeit their salary during authorities shutdowns, location would beryllium less shutdowns and they would extremity quicker," Graham, R-S.C., asserted astatine nan time.

He described his projected authorities arsenic nan astir "constitutionally sound" solution, though he acknowledged nan importantly much laborious process of requiring ratification by three-fourths of states.

While lawmakers person often pledged to forgo their paychecks during erstwhile shutdowns, Kennedy told reporters his existent measurement ensures "shared sacrifice."

He conceded it doesn't spell arsenic acold arsenic he would ideally like, but called it a "start." When pressed connected why nan solution doesn't widen to nan different chamber, Kennedy remarked that "the House’s business is nan House’s business," alluding to underlying tensions.

He concluded, "There’s a very beardown undercurrent of animosity among immoderate of my friends successful nan House," and that "It’s quickly becoming for illustration 2 kids fighting successful nan backmost of a minivan."