PRIA Logo™
119-hr-5891119th CongressWALLET

Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act

Sponsored By: Representative Steil, Bryan [R-WI-1]

In Committee

Summary

This bill would impose a temporary pay cut for Members of Congress during government shutdowns and require pay withheld before the cut takes effect to be held in escrow to protect the 27th Amendment.

Show full summary
  • Members of Congress: On any day a shutdown occurs within a pay period, payroll administrators must withhold an amount equal to one day’s pay multiplied by the number of 24‑hour shutdown periods in that pay period.
  • Pre‑effective escrow and release: For shutdown days before the pay‑reduction effective date, the same amounts are withheld and deposited into an escrow account. Amounts remaining in escrow must be released on the pay‑reduction effective date to avoid varying compensation under the 27th Amendment.
  • Administration and Treasury support: The bill names the payroll administrators for each chamber (the Secretary of the Senate or designee and the House Chief Administrative Officer or designee) and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide necessary assistance to carry out the withholding and escrow rules.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Members' pay cuts during shutdowns

This bill would reduce pay for Members of Congress on days a government shutdown is in effect. For each pay period, payroll administrators would subtract one day’s pay for each 24‑hour shutdown day. For days after the regular November 2026 federal election (the pay reduction effective date), those amounts would be excluded from Members’ pay. From enactment until that date, payroll administrators would withhold the same amounts and put them into an escrow account. Any money left in escrow would be released on the pay-reduction effective date. The Secretary of the Treasury would provide assistance to payroll administrators to carry out these rules.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Steil, Bryan [R-WI-1]

WI • R

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Kim, Young [R-CA-40]

    CA • R

    Sponsored 11/10/2025

  • Rep. Fedorchak, Julie [R-ND-At Large]

    ND • R

    Sponsored 11/17/2025

  • Rep. Murphy, Gregory F. [R-NC-3]

    NC • R

    Sponsored 1/12/2026

  • Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15]

    IL • R

    Sponsored 1/12/2026

  • Rep. Mills, Cory [R-FL-7]

    FL • R

    Sponsored 3/24/2026

  • Rep. Bresnahan, Robert P. [R-PA-8]

    PA • R

    Sponsored 3/27/2026

  • Rep. Kean, Thomas H. [R-NJ-7]

    NJ • R

    Sponsored 4/2/2026

  • Rep. Obernolte, Jay [R-CA-23]

    CA • R

    Sponsored 4/9/2026

  • Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2]

    NH • D

    Sponsored 4/9/2026

  • Rep. Biggs, Sheri [R-SC-3]

    SC • R

    Sponsored 4/13/2026

  • Rep. Hurd, Jeff [R-CO-3]

    CO • R

    Sponsored 4/14/2026

  • Rep. Mackenzie, Ryan [R-PA-7]

    PA • R

    Sponsored 4/16/2026

  • Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4]

    CO • R

    Sponsored 6/29/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation