In a rare moment of unanimity, the Senate voted Thursday to withhold its members’ pay during future government shutdowns. The resolution, sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, marks a modest but overdue step toward accountability in a body that has watched two painfully long funding lapses in the past year.
The timing feels pointed. Just last month, a 76-day partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security finally ended after the longest agency-specific closure on record. Months earlier, a 43-day full government shutdown set its own unwelcome benchmark.
Federal workers, especially those keeping airports running and borders secure, bore the brunt: delayed paychecks, mounting bills and uncertainty while essential operations limped along. Lawmakers, by contrast, kept drawing their $174,000 salaries, as the Constitution requires.
In a unanimous 99-0 vote, the Senate on Wednesday advanced a resolution to withhold pay from senators during a government shutdown. https://t.co/Y8k9UbhxMh pic.twitter.com/fcmXFCNXDK
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) May 14, 2026
This resolution changes that for senators, at least. Pay will be held back when agencies go unfunded and released once the impasse ends. It does not bind the House, and it stops short of a constitutional amendment. Still, the principle is sound: Those who fail to keep the government funded should feel some of the friction they impose on others.
READ MORE: Finally! No Paychecks for Senators If Government Shuts Down
Shutdowns have become a symptom of deeper dysfunction — partisan standoffs that turn routine budgeting into high-stakes poker. Reasonable people can disagree on spending priorities, but letting critical functions grind to a halt repeatedly serves no one well. During the recent DHS closure, private citizens stepped up in instructive ways.
🚨 BOOM! Senate just voted 99-0 to WITHHOLD their own pay during a government shutdown!
— Stand Up For Truth 🇺🇸 (@StandUpForFact) May 13, 2026
No more fat-cat senators collecting fat checks while TSA agents, border patrol, and federal workers get screwed and go unpaid. This is the kind of accountability we've been demanding!
Long… pic.twitter.com/pszHdfs4gX
BOOM! Senate just voted 99-0 to WITHHOLD their own pay during a government shutdown!
No more fat-cat senators collecting fat checks while TSA agents, border patrol, and federal workers get screwed and go unpaid. This is the kind of accountability we've been demanding!
Long overdue. No more rewarding failure and gridlock.
what do you think? Should they forfeit the pay entirely, no backpay loopholes?
YES or NO?
Drop your answer below and Give me a Thumbs-Up, if you want this energy on EVERY issue!
President Trump voiced support for Elon Musk’s offer to cover TSA workers’ salaries out of pocket. Musk’s proposal highlighted a willingness to bridge gaps when Washington wouldn’t. Legal and practical hurdles ultimately sidelined the idea, yet it underscored a basic truth: Real-world consequences matter more than procedural posturing.
The Senate’s move won’t eliminate shutdown threats. Budget negotiations will remain contentious, and divided government guarantees tough bargaining. But attaching a personal financial stake to legislative failure introduces a useful incentive. It echoes the “shared sacrifice” Kennedy described — a reminder that public service should involve real trade-offs, not just rhetoric.
If senators are going to vote to shut down the government and prevent millions of federal workers from getting paid, they ought to have the same skin in the game.
— John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) May 14, 2026
My resolution passed the Senate today to ensure they do.
That's common sense.https://t.co/TDNJxAiISk
Critics may dismiss this as symbolic. In one sense, it is. Most senators have considerable personal resources, and the measure applies only after the upcoming election. Yet symbols carry weight in politics. When federal employees go without reliable pay while essential work continues, voters notice.
Lawmakers insulating themselves from those pressures only deepens cynicism about the institution.This resolution alone cannot fix chronic spending disputes or the habit of kicking tough decisions past deadlines. Broader reforms — regular order in appropriations, realistic long-term budgeting — remain necessary.
Now let’s get the save America act passed.
— PresMom3 (@Mom3Pres) May 14, 2026
Or remove Thune.
Still, requiring senators to forgo pay during lapses is a concrete gesture toward fairness. It acknowledges that the human cost of these standoffs falls heaviest on those outside the Capitol. Government funding should not be a recurring crisis. When Congress treats it as one, the least it can do is join the discomfort it creates.
The Senate has taken a small step in that direction. Whether it leads to fewer and shorter shutdowns will depend on whether members carry that discipline into the next round of negotiations.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy RedState's conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member