Maybe members of Congress will think twice…
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has teed up a vote on a proposal from Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., that would block senators from collecting pay during a government shutdown, as fears grow that another funding fight could slam Washington before the midterms.
Kennedy’s plan is blunt: if the government closes, lawmakers should not keep cashing checks while federal workers and American families pay the price.
Kennedy previously introduced legislation aimed at stopping members of Congress from receiving pay during shutdowns, including a measure barring back pay after the government reopens.
Asked about Thune moving the measure toward a vote, Kennedy said he pressed the GOP leader to act.
“He did it, and I think he’s a fine American,” Kennedy said.
🚨 NOW: John Thune has just filed to ADVANCE a measure that would WITHHOLD Senators’ paychecks in the event of a government shutdown
This is the LEAST they can do.
It’ll be VERY telling to see who is against this! pic.twitter.com/1syFJbIjTn
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 11, 2026
The move comes after shutdown brinkmanship has become a recurring weapon in Washington during President Trump’s second term, with Republicans accusing Democrats of using federal closures as leverage over immigration and spending fights.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats of acting like “legislative terrorists,” warning that another shutdown threat could come over ICE funding or another major Trump priority.
“It’ll be something else, and then we’ll just shut the whole thing down, and we should not, you know, let them do that,” Schmitt said.
“So I think we ought to have some plans in place to account for that, to make it painful for them if they want to do that, because the American people suffer on it.”
Kennedy is not alone.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has pushed the Shutdown Fairness Act, which would require federal employees to be paid during a shutdown. A prior Senate vote on that issue failed to clear the 60-vote threshold during the 2025 shutdown fight.
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., has pushed the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act, a plan to automatically keep the government funded for short-term periods while Congress continues negotiating. Johnson’s office has also described similar anti-shutdown legislation as a way to keep critical services running while Congress finishes appropriations.
“We need to pass it so we never have a moment like this again,” Lankford told Fox News Digital.
“We will have disagreements. It’s America, but we should not have federal workers, programs that stop because we’re having a disagreement. Let’s have the fight. But let’s keep going.”
