To prohibit the payment of a salary to Members of Congress, the President, and the Vice President during periods during which a Government shutdown is in effect, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Wilson of Florida (for herself and Mr. Garamendi) introduced …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Government Shutdown Salary Suspension Act would withhold salaries from Members of Congress, the President, and the Vice President during any federal government shutdown. Rather than a permanent pay cut, the withheld amounts would be held in escrow and only released after the shutdown ends or at the conclusion of their term of office.
Who Benefits and How
Taxpayers and the general public benefit symbolically, as this bill creates a financial incentive for elected officials to resolve budget impasses quickly. Federal employees who are furloughed or forced to work without pay during shutdowns may benefit indirectly if this pressure motivates faster resolution of funding gaps.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Members of Congress, the President, and Vice President would have their salaries withheld during shutdowns. Their pay would be calculated on a daily basis and placed in escrow accounts. They would not receive these funds until the shutdown ends or their term of office concludes. The payroll administrators of each House (Chief Administrative Officer for the House, Secretary of the Senate) and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management would bear additional administrative responsibilities to manage escrow accounts.
Key Provisions
- Requires payroll administrators to deposit congressional salaries into escrow accounts during any government shutdown, calculated at the daily pay rate multiplied by the number of shutdown days
- Directs the Office of Personnel Management to similarly withhold and escrow salaries of the President and Vice President during shutdowns
- Defines a government shutdown as any lapse in appropriations for any federal agency due to failure to enact appropriations bills or continuing resolutions
- Requires that all withheld amounts be released at the end of the current Congress or presidential term to comply with the 27th Amendment (which prohibits Congress from changing its own compensation mid-term)
- Mandates that normal tax withholding and remittances apply to escrowed amounts
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
This bill aims to prohibit the payment of salaries to Members of Congress, the President, and the Vice President during periods when a government shutdown is in effect.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_director"
- → Director of the Office of Personnel Management
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Treasury
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology