Thune blesses push to block senator pay during government shutdowns
The article centers elected official voices (Thune, Kennedy, Paul, Schatz, Johnson, Trump) and presents legislative mechanics straightforwardly without charged language or editorializing. Framing is procedural and neutral—describing bill progress, rules committee approval, and competing proposals. The article notes both parties' involvement (Kennedy and Thune are Republicans; Schatz is Democratic) and mentions bipartisan committee support, suggesting even-handed coverage.
Primary voices: elected official, state or recognized government
- This article does not address the fiscal impact of withholding senators' pay or whether such measures have historical precedent in other legislatures
- This article does not explain the specific 'substantial reforms to officer conduct' Democrats requested regarding ICE, limiting readers' understanding of the substantive policy disagreement
Framing may shift once the legislation advances to a Senate floor vote or as the shutdown dispute is resolved, potentially affecting how the pay-withholding proposal is characterized relative to broad
Government-sourcedEstablishment framingNeutral language
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) put his stamp of approval on legislation Tuesday that would block senators from receiving paychecks during a government shutdown.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) has pressed leadership to call a vote on the legislation during the last two government shutdowns, and Thune said it came up again as the Senate began preparing to pass an immigration funding bill that would fully reopen the Department of Homeland Security.
“I committed to get it up and get a vote on it,” Thune said of his conversations with Kennedy, telling the Washington Examiner that he would support the legislation when the Senate takes its first procedural vote on Wednesday.
“It’s a resolution that applies just to the Senate, but frankly, I think it’s good policy,” Thune said, calling it an “additional incentive” to avoid future shutdowns.
The measure cleared the Senate Rules Committee unanimously in December, signaling it would have bipartisan support on the floor. But Kennedy has been blocked multiple times when he’s attempted to pass it himself by unanimous consent — once by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in November and another time by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) in March.
The two-page bill, which would take effect after the 2026 elections, directs the secretary of the Senate to withhold senators’ pay until a lapse in government funding ends. It is one of several proposals rank-and-file members have introduced this Congress.
Kennedy’s legislation is designed to address the political optics of lawmakers receiving paychecks while their staffers and other federal workers go without pay. The circumstance is due to both a quirk in the Constitution and a permanent allocation for lawmakers’ salaries dating back to 1983.
Another measure, from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), would require that federal workers receive pay during a shutdown if they are considered “essential” workers. President Donald Trump previously assured Johnson he’d try to get the legislation through Congress, but it has yet to be scheduled for a vote.
Both parties have traded blame for the current shutdown, centered on Democrats’ refusal to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement without substantial reforms to officer conduct. Congress finished approving funding for everything except DHS and its sister agency, Customs and Border Protection, at the end of last month. But Republicans are currently doing it alone to provide three years of ICE funding using a party-line budget process known as reconciliation.
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