The upper chamber on Wednesday unanimously advanced a resolution from Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., that, if passed, would prevent lawmakers from getting paid during future shutdowns. It comes after the once-rare occurrence became a political cudgel wielded by Democrats time and again in the last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite having spurred the two longest shutdowns in history, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer,<\/a> D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats joined Republicans to move the measure along for a final vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n SCHUMER BACKS GOP’S PLAN TO BRING THE PAIN DURING FUTURE SHUTDOWNS: ‘I’M GOING TO VOTE FOR IT’<\/a><\/p>\n Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., arrives at a Senate Republican policy luncheon in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 28, 2025. (Nathan Posner\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n But its success through the first hurdle has not quite sated concerns that Democrats will again try to force another shutdown before the midterm elections<\/a> in the fall.<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader John Thune,<\/a> R-S.D., told Fox News Digital that its success “helps” but suggested that the move from Democrats was more political than not.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I think it’s, they realize, I mean, that’s a really bad posture to be in if you’re opposing something like that at a time when you got a lot of government employees who aren’t getting paid, and, you know, people up here are voting against depriving themselves of pay when everybody else is not getting paid,” Thune said.\u00a0<\/p>\n SENATE REPUBLICANS BALK AT $1B WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM REQUEST: \u2018YOU MADE THAT NUMBER UP\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer returns to the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on March 20, 2026. (Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n “So I just think that’s a very difficult political vote for Democrats,” he continued. “I think they’ve recognized it, and I\u2019m guessing they had a fairly robust conversation at their lunch yesterday.”<\/p>\n Kennedy\u2019s resolution, which he described as a resolution of “shared sacrifice,” can\u2019t take effect until after the upcoming election cycle, adding more concern that Democrats may be tempted to repeat the cycle.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n “If I were king for a day \u2014 I’m not, I don’t aspire to be \u2014 but if I were, I’d make this resolution effective immediately,” Kennedy said.\u00a0“Because I’m \u2026 very concerned that my Senate colleagues on the Democratic side are going to try to shut down the government yet again right before the elections to try to create chaos to affect the midterm elections.”<\/p>\n Kennedy’s resolution<\/a> would direct the secretary of the Senate to withhold lawmakers’ pay until a shutdown is resolved. A rank-and-file senator earns $174,000 per year, while a leader of either party can earn over $193,000 per year.<\/p>\n SENATE WEIGHS NEW, PAINFUL LEVERAGE TACTIC AS FEARS OF ANOTHER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GROW<\/a><\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks at a press conference with Senate Republican leadership at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 16, 2025, after a last-minute block from Senate Democrats halted a government funding package. (Nathan Posner\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n And it would only pertain to the Senate \u2014 a point he made clear on the Senate floor just before the vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kennedy\u2019s push isn\u2019t the only one that\u2019s brewed in the Senate following the 43-day shutdown over enhanced Obamacare<\/a> premium tax credits and the latest 76-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s because shutdowns have become a common tool over the last year and a half that Democrats have turned to as a negotiating counterpoint. In Trump\u2019s second term alone, Congress has been on the precipice of a closure four times.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Sen.](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/john-kennedy-senate-politics-media-fox-news.jpg\")
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