Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act

This legislation seeks to link the compensation of Members of Congress to the occurrence of government shutdowns. It defines a Government shutdown as a lapse in appropriations for one or more federal agencies or departments, and specifies that the bill applies to individuals serving as Members of Congress. Beginning after the general election in November 2026, if a government shutdown is in effect during a pay period, the payroll administrator for each House will reduce a Member's pay by an amount equal to one day's worth of pay for each 24-hour period of the shutdown. This provision ensures a direct reduction in compensation during future shutdowns. For the period between the bill's enactment and the November 2026 election, a special rule applies: amounts equivalent to the daily pay reduction will be withheld and placed into an escrow account . To comply with the 27th Amendment, which prohibits varying congressional compensation during a term, these escrowed funds will be released to Members on the pay reduction effective date, preventing an actual pay reduction during their current term. The Secretary of the Treasury is tasked with assisting payroll administrators in implementing these provisions.