The federal government could shut down at 12:01 a.m. EDT Wednesday, unless Republicans and Democrats reach an agreement on a budget.
If a funding lapse occurs, thousands of federal employees will be classified as either “excepted,” required to work without pay, or “not excepted,” meaning they are furloughed.
While furloughed workers usually receive back pay once the government reopens, federal contractors typically do not.
Members of Congress, however, will continue to receive their salaries during a shutdown. The U.S. Constitution requires that senators and representatives “receive a Compensation for their Services” (Article I, Section 6). The 27th Amendment further prevents changes to congressional pay from taking effect until after the next election.
Presidents are also paid during shutdowns. President Donald Trump donated his government salary during his first term and has said he intends to do so again.
Some lawmakers have moved to address the optics of receiving pay while many federal workers go without.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) requested that his pay be withheld until the government reopens, calling it “ wrong that the President and Members of Congress get paid during a government shutdown when our military and public servants don’t.”
“I will be refusing my own pay if we end up in a shutdown. Government leaders shouldn’t be playing with other people’s chips,” Senator Kim said in a statement.
Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) made a similar request in a letter to the House’s chief administrator, which she shared on X. She wrote that if service members and border patrol agents face delayed paychecks, lawmakers should be willing to give up theirs as well.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) echoed that view, posting on X that “If our service members and federal workers won’t get paid because of Trump and far-right extremists, Members of Congress shouldn’t either.”
Rank-and-file members of Congress are paid $174,000 annually, with higher salaries for those in leadership roles.
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