Vulnerable Lawmakers Spurn Shutdown Pay But Can’t Fully Block It

Oct. 1, 2025, 4:21 PM UTC

Capitol Hill staff are preparing to miss paychecks if the shutdown drags on, but their bosses don’t need to worry — pay for lawmakers is mandated in the Constitution and continues regardless of whether Congress funds the government.

Already, House members and senators across the political spectrum are engaging in the custom of rejecting their paychecks when the government is closed. But since the Treasury is constitutionally required to pay them a salary, the process is more complicated than simply not paying lawmakers who refuse the money.

Member paychecks can instead go into an account separate from lawmakers’ usual pay, ...

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