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In a landmark move, US senators have unanimously agreed to suspend their own salaries during government shutdowns.
The resolution, introduced by Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, is designed to ensure lawmakers experience the same financial hardships as federal workers during funding lapses, a situation that has plagued the government in recent years.
Kennedy’s measure is a direct response to the political backlash following numerous funding crises, including the 43-day government shutdown at the end of last year.
The shutdowns, often sparked by deadlocked debates in Congress, forced hundreds of thousands of federal employees to either work without pay or face furloughs, while members of Congress continued to receive their full salaries. This disparity has fueled bipartisan frustration, particularly as essential services were delayed, and benefits remained inaccessible.
“Shutting down government should not be our default solution to our refusal to work out our issues and our differences,” Kennedy remarked, emphasising the need for shared sacrifice in the face of such dysfunction.
The resolution will withhold Senators’ pay whenever funding lapses for at least one federal agency or department. Senators would only receive their pay after the shutdown ends.
The bill, however, will not take effect until after the November midterm elections, due to constitutional restrictions on changes to congressional pay.
Kennedy, a strong advocate for a tougher approach, expressed that he would have preferred a more stringent proposal that would have permanently stripped senators of pay during such shutdowns and prevented them from leaving Washington during the crisis.
