After more than a month of gridlock in Washington and no end in sight to the federal government shutdown, Senator **John Kennedy (R-LA)** has had enough. The straight-talking Louisiana Republican is introducing two new bills that would finally make lawmakers feel the same financial pain they’re inflicting on the rest of America — by **cutting off their pay during government shutdowns**.
The proposals, called the **“No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act”** and the **“Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act,”** are Kennedy’s way of forcing Washington’s political class to live by the same rules as everyone else.
“We’re on day 36,” Kennedy said. “None of our staffs are being paid. Federal employees are going without pay. Our military is only being paid partially, air traffic controllers aren’t being paid, and people on SNAP are struggling. If we can’t do our jobs and fund the government, we don’t deserve a paycheck — plain and simple.”
The Louisiana senator’s move comes as the shutdown drags past its fifth week, caused largely by **Democrats refusing to compromise** on their demands for more spending — including, outrageously, **funding healthcare for illegal aliens.** Republicans, backed by President Trump, have rightly refused to sign off on such nonsense.
In the meantime, while ordinary Americans — from service members to TSA agents — are tightening their belts, **Congress keeps cashing checks.** Under Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution, members of Congress continue receiving their taxpayer-funded salaries even when the government isn’t fully operational. Kennedy wants to change that.
His **first bill**, the *No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act*, would halt congressional pay for every day the government remains closed. Lawmakers wouldn’t just have delayed checks — they would **go without pay altogether** during shutdowns.
His **second bill**, the *Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act*, takes a slightly different approach, **placing congressional pay in escrow** until after the next election, effectively sidestepping the 27th Amendment’s restrictions on immediate pay changes.
“I don’t see missing paychecks or empty dinner plates as leverage or bargaining chips,” Kennedy said. “My bills ensure Congress feels the same pain as the folks we’re failing to pay — our troops, air traffic controllers, and federal workers.”
It’s the kind of accountability Washington desperately needs. For decades, members of Congress have treated shutdowns like a political theater production — **collecting their salaries while the people they represent suffer the consequences.** Kennedy’s proposal would finally put an end to that hypocrisy.
According to recent reports, **federal workers have already been forced to borrow more than $365 million** to cover rent and bills since the shutdown began. “Our military is only being paid partially,” Kennedy noted. “Our air traffic controllers are not being paid. People who receive SNAP payments are only being partially paid.”
Meanwhile, the same Democrats responsible for the stalemate — the same ones who find endless money for foreign aid and illegal immigrants — continue to cash in without shame.
Senator Kennedy’s message to them couldn’t be clearer: **if you can’t keep the government open, you shouldn’t get paid.** And for millions of Americans watching Washington’s dysfunction, that sounds like the first common-sense idea to come out of Congress in a long time.
