HR 5891
Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act
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Bill overview
This bill, the Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act, proposes to reduce the pay of Members of Congress during government shutdowns. Specifically, if a shutdown occurs during a pay period, the amount of pay for each Member will be reduced by one day’s pay for each day the shutdown lasts during that pay period. A separate provision addresses pay reductions before the next general election, requiring the withholding and eventual release of funds into escrow. The pay reductions will not take effect until after the 2026 general election.
Key provisions
- Members of Congress' pay will be reduced during government shutdowns.
- The reduction is calculated based on one day's pay for each day of the shutdown during a pay period.
- A separate provision addresses pay reductions before the 2026 general election, requiring withholding and escrow.
- Payroll administrators in each House of Congress will handle the pay reductions.
- The Secretary of the Treasury will provide assistance to the payroll administrators.
- Pay reductions will not take effect until after the 2026 general election.
- Amounts withheld during shutdowns will be deposited into escrow accounts.
- Escrow accounts will be released on the pay reduction effective date.
Who is affected
- Members of Congress (House and Senate)
- Congressional payroll administrators
- The U.S. Treasury
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. R. 5891
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To reduce the annual rate of pay of Members of Congress if a Government shutdown occurs during a year, and for other purposes.
This Act may be cited as the Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act
.
the term Government shutdown means a lapse in appropriations for 1 or more Federal agencies or departments;
the term payroll administrator, with respect to a House of Congress, means—
in the case of the Senate, the Secretary of the Senate, or an employee of the Office of the Secretary of the Senate who is designated by the Secretary to carry out the requirements of this section; and
an amount equal to one day's worth of pay under the annual rate of pay of the Member under section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501); and
the number of 24-hour periods during the pay period during which the Government shutdown is in effect.
This subsection shall apply with respect to days occurring after the date of the regularly scheduled general election for Federal office held in November 2026 (in this section referred to as the pay reduction effective date
).
If on any day before the pay reduction effective date a Government shutdown is in effect, the payroll administrator of each House of Congress shall—
withhold from the payments otherwise required to be made with respect to a pay period for the compensation of each Member of Congress who serves in that House of Congress an amount equal to the product of—
the number of 24-hour periods during which the Government shutdown is in effect which occur during the pay period; and
deposit in an escrow account all amounts withheld under subparagraph (A).
In order to ensure that this subsection is carried out in a manner that shall not vary the compensation of Senators or Representatives in violation of the 27th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, the payroll administrator of a House of Congress shall release for payments to Members of that House of Congress any amounts remaining in any escrow account under this subsection on the pay reduction effective date.
This subsection shall apply with respect to days during the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act and ending on the pay reduction effective date.
The Secretary of the Treasury shall provide the payroll administrators of the Houses of Congress with such assistance as may be necessary to enable the payroll administrators to carry out this section.