S 3057
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. If a shutdown occurs during a pay period, the payroll administrator for each House will exclude an amount equal to one day’s pay for each day the shutdown lasts during that period. A special rule applies before a scheduled election, requiring the withholding and escrowing of pay for shutdown days. These reductions will not take effect until after the November 2026 general election.
Key provisions
- Members of Congress’ pay will be reduced during government shutdowns.
- The reduction is calculated based on the number of 24-hour periods the shutdown lasts during a pay period.
- A special rule applies before the 2026 general election, requiring the withholding and escrowing of pay for shutdown days.
- Withheld amounts will be deposited into an escrow account.
- Escrowed amounts will be released on the pay reduction effective date.
- The Secretary of the Treasury will provide assistance to payroll administrators.
- The bill applies to the period from the date of enactment until the pay reduction effective date.
Who is affected
- Members of Congress (Senate and House)
- Congressional payroll administrators
- The U.S. Treasury
Notable changes
- This bill establishes a mechanism to reduce congressional pay during government shutdowns, which currently does not exist.
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
S. 3057
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
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.