Senate Approves Pay Withholding in Shutdowns

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution Thursday directing the secretary of the Senate to withhold senators' paychecks during any future government shutdowns affecting one or more federal agencies, with salaries to be released once funding is restored.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., takes effect the day after the Nov. 3 general election, in compliance with the 27th Amendment barring mid-term changes to congressional compensation. It advanced earlier on a 99-0 procedural vote, with one senator absent, before final passage by unanimous consent. The resolution applies only to the Senate and requires no House approval or presidential signature.

Lawmakers framed the action as a step toward shared sacrifice after two record-length shutdowns in the past year left tens of thousands of federal workers without paychecks. A 43-day full government closure last October, the longest in history, stemmed from disputes over health care funding and furloughed roughly 670,000 employees. It was followed by a 76-day partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, the longest agency funding lapse on record, which affected Transportation Security Administration...