As the federal government shutdown stretches into its fifth week, U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin has introduced legislation to halt congressional pay during future shutdowns.
Steil, who represents southeastern Wisconsin, said in a Nov. 4 statement that members of Congress should not receive their salaries while federal employees and service members go unpaid. “There is no reason our government should be shut down,” he said. “If service members, men and women of federal law enforcement, and other essential employees are working without pay during the shutdown, members of Congress should not be paid either.”
The proposal, introduced with U.S. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, would suspend lawmakers’ salaries during shutdowns until after the 2026 elections. A similar bipartisan measure introduced earlier this year sought to dock congressional pay for each day of a funding lapse. (RELATED: Wisconsin Declares State of Emergency As Democrats Continue Government Shutdown)
The federal government has been closed since Oct. 1 after Congress failed to agree on a spending plan. Democrats have demanded the inclusion of extended Affordable Care Act subsidies, while Republicans have resisted. If the impasse continues past Nov. 5, it will mark the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
While most federal employees haven’t been paid since mid-October, members of Congress still collect their $174,000 annual salaries. Several Wisconsin lawmakers—including Steil, Reps. Tony Wied and Glenn Grothman, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin—have requested that their pay be withheld. Baldwin said the issue is about protecting constituents, noting, “This fight isn’t about me. This fight is about the 275,000 Wisconsinites who will see their premiums double if my Republican colleagues don’t join me and act.”
Sen. Ron Johnson said he plans to donate his pay during the shutdown to Milwaukee’s Joseph Project, a faith-based jobs and training program. (RELATED: The Milwaukee Hop Comes Under Fire After Accident Shuts It Down)
Steil’s bill joins a growing chorus of calls to end congressional pay during funding lapses—an idea that resonates with voters frustrated by Washington’s gridlock as the shutdown drags on.