"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. "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."
""This is about putting our money where our mouth is," said Kennedy, R-La. 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 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. "If members of Congress had to forfeit their pay during government shutdowns, there would be fewer shutdowns and they would end quicker," Graham, R-S.C., said at the time."
Senators unanimously approved a resolution to withhold their pay during government shutdowns affecting one or more agencies. Pay would be withheld by the secretary of the Senate and released once funding is restored. The measure is set to take effect the day after the Nov. 3 general election. The resolution aims to make shutdowns financially painful for lawmakers amid longer and more frequent federal closures. Support reflects frustration with Congress failing to pass basic legislation. Recent shutdowns caused 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 during shutdowns, prompting proposals to change that approach.
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