The U.S. Senate just voted unanimously to stop paying itself during government shutdowns — and it took one senator from Louisiana to make it happen.
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana introduced the resolution after the federal government spent more than 119 days in full or partial shutdown between October 2025 and May 2026 — the longest shutdown in American history. During that time, an estimated 670,000 federal workers went without paychecks while every member of Congress continued collecting their full salaries. Kennedy’s resolution, S.Res.526, passed by voice vote with no opposition — 99 to 0 on the procedural vote — making it the rare piece of legislation with genuine bipartisan support. Because it is an internal Senate rule rather than a bill, it required no House vote and no presidential signature. Senators’ pay will be held in escrow during any future shutdown and released only after the government reopens. The resolution takes effect after the November 2026 midterm elections.
Kennedy said it plainly on the Senate floor: if senators are going to vote to shut down the government and prevent millions of workers from being paid, they ought to have skin in the game.
For Americans who watched TSA agents, park rangers, and federal workers go without pay for months while their elected representatives cashed checks uninterrupted — this vote is long overdue. Accountability in government should not require a senator to introduce a resolution forcing it.
“A worker deserves his wages.” — Luke 10:7
If you’re going to make the rules, you ought to live by them.
What do you think — should this rule also apply to the House of Representatives? #america #justice #accountability
