DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticizes the 80-day government shutdown's severe repercussions on homeland security, citing significant TSA agent attrition. operational backlogs.
Senators will now go without pay during future shutdowns in a bid to instill the same pain on lawmakers. federal workers have felt several times in recent months.
The upper chamberunanimously passed a resolutionto prevent senators from being paid in the event of a shutdown in a move. could thwart future closures by making the consequences real for lawmakers.
Sen. John Kennedy. R-La., who pushed the measure, argued that preventing lawmakers from collecting a paycheck was a "shared sacrifice" after tens of thousands of federal employees went without pay during the two shutdowns that have happened since last year.
SCHUMER BACKS GOP'S PLAN TO BRING THE PAIN DURING FUTURE SHUTDOWNS: 'I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR IT'
The Senate passed Sen. John Kennedy's resolution to stop lawmakers being paid during future shutdowns on a massive bipartisan vote, but the move hasn't ended fears that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Democrats will try to shut the government down again.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
"Last October, we shut down the government for 43 days. That is the longest shutdown in history. And we had FBI agents. national park rangers, CDC scientists, our staff here in Congress — nobody was getting paid," Kennedy said on the Senate floor.
"And then. three months later, after we finally got out of that 43-day shutdown, weshut down the Department of Homeland Security. It was shut down for 76 days. This is all in one year," he continued. "We ought to hide our heads in a bag. It’s got to stop."
Both shutdowns led to real-world effects on Americans. particularly those traveling through the nation's airports, as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers went without pay during both record-shattering closures.
SENATE TAKES MAJOR FIRST STEP TO PREVENT FUTURE SHUTDOWNS WITH PAINFUL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAY
Passengers stand in the TSA PreCheck line at LaGuardia Airport in New York on March 26, 2026.(Fox News)
Kennedy's resolution. which applies only to senators, would direct the secretary of the Senate to withhold lawmakers' pay until a shutdown is resolved. Effectively, theirpaychecks would be thrown intoescrow while lawmakers hash out a deal to reopen the government.
Once a shutdown ends, the money will flow again.
A rank-and-file senator earns $174,000 per year, while a leader of either party can earn over $193,000.
SENATE REPUBLICANS BALK AT $1B WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM REQUEST: ‘YOU MADE THAT NUMBER UP’
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., has a bill that would prevent shutdowns altogether by automatically. temporarily extending funding for two weeks at a time.(James Lankford/Reuters)
It’s one of many moves lawmakers have made during. after the pair of historic shutdowns to make shuttering the government a self-inflicted wound, orprevent shutdowns from happening altogether.
Sen. Ron Johnson. R-Wis., has a bill backed by federal labor unions that would ensure federal workers were paid during a shutdown, while Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., has a bill that would prevent shutdowns altogether by automatically. temporarily extending funding for two weeks at a time.
It comes after the notion of shuttering the government was, for several decades, an option of last resort. But the last year has shown that Senate Democrats are willing to use the consequential tool as a political cudgel.
Despite having the blessing of Senate Minority LeaderChuck Schumer,D-N.Y., Republicans aren’t convinced that the top Senate Democrat. his caucus will not try to shut the government down again before the midterm elections.
Notably. Kennedy’s resolution wouldn’t kick in until after the upcoming election cycle in November, meaning that lawmakers would still skirt having their paychecks withheld.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
Discussion
Sign in to join the thread, react, and share images.