Kennedy pushes plan to halt Congress pay during government shutdown

FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator wants to stop members of Congress from receiving paychecks as federal workers go without pay during the ongoing government shutdown.

As the shutdown enters its 35th day, federal employees, air traffic controllers and other employees have either missed paychecks or received only partial pay. Members of Congress, however, are constitutionally required to get a paycheck, even if the government is closed.

Some lawmakers have said that they would forego a paycheck, while others have introduced legislation to prevent their colleagues from getting paid.

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Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., jumped into that arena and has two bills that would both halt lawmakers from getting paid as the shutdown continues and deal with the constitutional issue.

"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."

One of the bills, the "No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act," would see lawmakers go without pay for every day that a shutdown is underway. Members of Congress on average make $174,000 a year. That number can fluctuate depending on whether a lawmaker is in a leadership position.

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Kennedy's desire to see that lawmakers don't get paid runs into the Constitution, however.

Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution requires that "Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States."

Then there is the 27th Amendment, ratified in 1992, which prevents Congress from passing a law affecting its pay during the current congressional term.

That's where his other bill, "Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act," comes into play. That legislation would sidestep the 27th Amendment by not cutting pay to lawmakers, but instead withholding it in escrow until after the November 2026 elections.

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That bill is also being carried in the House by Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., who said in a statement to Fox News Digital, "If service members, men and women of federal law enforcement, and other essential employees are working without pay during the Schumer shutdown, members of Congress should not be paid either."

Kennedy's effort is not the only legislative attempt to stop lawmakers from getting paychecks during the shutdown.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, introduced legislation that would impose a tax, similar to Kennedy's bill, that would increase each day that the Senate is in session.

Then there's a constitutional amendment proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., last week that would require lawmakers forfeit their paychecks. That money would then be sent to the U.S. Treasury Department to help pay down the national debt.

Passing a constitutional amendment requires that two-thirds of the House and Senate advance the proposal and then be ratified by three-fourths of the states.