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Member of Congress proposes bill to withhold lawmakers' pay during shutdown
Summary
A member of Congress introduced the "Withhold Members Pay During Shutdown Act," saying it would stop members from receiving pay during a partial federal shutdown while more than 100,000 DHS employees and other federal workers continue to work without pay.
A member of Congress urged passage of the "Withhold Members Pay During Shutdown Act," saying the measure would prevent members of Congress from receiving paychecks during a partial government shutdown while federal employees are required to work without pay.
The lawmaker, a member of Congress, opened by noting that although last Friday was a regular payday, "over 100,000" federal employees did not receive pay and were still required to show up for work. "That's not right. It's not fair," the lawmaker said, arguing the bill is a "common-sense" step to help break the gridlock that produces shutdowns.
Why it matters: The speaker framed the bill as a response to harms they said the shutdown has created, citing the Department of Homeland Security's funding lapse and consequential effects on travelers and frontline workers. The lawmaker said DHS has not been funded since Feb. 14 and that the lapse has left more than 100,000 DHS employees working without pay, producing longer airport lines and other operational strains.
Details and claims: The speaker described concrete impacts on Transportation Security Administration employees, saying some agents have called in sick or taken other jobs to earn pay, that some workers have slept in their cars to reach early shifts, and that one TSA worker battling cancer could not keep up insurance payments after missing pay. The lawmaker described last fall's extended government shutdown — when many federal employees, including air traffic controllers, went unpaid for more than a month — as precedent underscoring the bill's purpose.
Reaction and process: The speaker thanked the ranking member for earlier work on similar text and urged bipartisan cooperation, saying the proposal could force members of both parties to reach a resolution. The speech did not record a formal vote or motion on the bill during the session.
Next steps: The lawmaker said the bill is a step toward reforming the spending process and pressing colleagues to act, but the transcript does not record whether the bill was formally introduced, scheduled for markup, or referred to a committee.
