U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is backing a bill that would prohibit her and her colleagues from receiving a paycheck during future government shutdowns.
The Mississippi-based Republican serves on the Senate Rules Committee, which voted on Thursday to advance S.Res.526. The resolution, authored by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), would withhold all Senators’ pay during a government shutdown or lapse in appropriations for one or more federal agencies or departments.
The resolution was introduced following a 43-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, that spanned the entire month of October and nearly one-half of November, as Congress failed to pass a bill to fund the government. During the shutdown, millions of federal workers, congressional staff, and government contractors went without compensation, and SNAP recipients went without receiving full benefits.
However, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate alike were still compensated, as the Constitution’s 27th Amendment prohibits increases or decreases in member salaries until after the next general election. Hyde-Smith, blaming the shutdown on her colleague, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), argued that the congressional impasse lasted so long because its legislators didn’t feel the financial brunt of it like many of their constituents.
“More than a few of my colleagues seemed a little too comfortable during the recent Schumer Shutdown. That’s understandable because they didn’t have any personal skin in the game,” Hyde-Smith, who is running for reelection in the 2026 midterms, said. “Senator Kennedy’s resolution would change that. This rules change would certainly make going without pay, like so many federal workers and our congressional staff did, less appealing for Senators.”
To avoid conflicts with the 27th Amendment, Kennedy’s resolution would not take effect until the November 2026 general elections. Additionally, Senators would receive missed pay when a partial or full government shutdown ends.
The resolution was approved on a voice vote by the Senate Rules Committee and now awaits consideration by the full chamber.