Schumer pledges to support bill to dock senators’ pay during shutdowns

Schumer said Tuesday he planned to back the measure.

“I’m going to vote for it,” Schumer said. “And I think it has a lot of support.”

The resolution would direct the Secretary of the Senate to withhold senators’ pay during any lapse in funding for one or more federal agencies.

“I don’t see missing paychecks or empty dinner plates as leverage or bargaining chips,” Kennedy said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “My bills ensure Congress feels the same pain as the folks we’re failing to pay — our troops, air traffic controllers, and federal workers. If we can’t do our jobs and fund the government, we don’t deserve a paycheck — plain and simple.”

Most senators currently earn $174,000 annually, while top leadership positions, including the majority and minority leaders, receive $193,400 per year.

With backing from both Schumer and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who moved the measure forward earlier this week, the resolution is expected to pass.

If approved, the policy would take effect after the 2026 midterm elections and would apply only to members of the Senate.

Republicans are currently racing through the budget reconciliation process to address lingering funding issues from the previous shutdown and secure funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for the next three-and-a-half years.

Thune argued Republicans turned to reconciliation because Democrats refused to support funding for those agencies, while expressing hope Kennedy’s proposal could help deter future shutdowns.

“And if this — passing this and applying it to senators, maybe it will provide an additional incentive to prevent Senate Democrats in the future from shutting the government down again,” Thune said.