Washington (May 14, 2026) – The United States Senate today passed Senator John Kennedy’s (R-La.) resolution to withhold pay from senators during government shutdowns. Kennedy’s resolution, which passed by voice vote, will take effect following the midterm elections in November.
“This is about shared sacrifice. 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. My resolution will ensure that senators aren’t the only people receiving their paychecks during a government shutdown,” Kennedy said.
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Background
- The federal government was in a full or partial shutdown for more than 119 days between October 1, 2025, and May 1, 2026, during which all members of Congress received their full pay while federal employees missed paychecks.
- Kennedy first introduced early versions of his resolution to withhold senators’ pay during government shutdowns in November 2025, and he fought for their passage during the historic 43-day full government shutdown.
- Kennedy continued to push for the resolution after the government reopened, and his resolution received unanimous, bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration in December 2025.
- In March, Kennedy attempted to pass his resolution by unanimous consent during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, but Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) objected to the resolution without comment.
- On Wednesday, Kennedy’s resolution cleared a motion to invoke cloture by a vote of 99-0.
Full text of S. Res. 526 is available here.
Read Kennedy’s op-ed about his resolution in The Hill here.
