No work? No pay.

This week, senators moved to withhold their own pay during any future government shutdown. The symbolic step is aimed at pressuring lawmakers to feel the same pain and circumstances that federal workers and contractors experience when Washington shuts down.  The resolution passed in a unanimous 99-0 vote and won’t take effect until after the November 2026 election, according to ABC News.

The Senate measure, introduced by Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, instructs the secretary of the Senate to hold senators’ paychecks during a shutdown and release the money only once the government reopens. Because it is a Senate resolution, it does not need approval from the House or a signature from President Donald Trump.​“Shutting down government should not be our default solution to our refusal to work out our issues and our differences,” said Kennedy, in a floor speech, per the Associated Press.

The move comes after the 43-day shutdown late last year, one of the longest in U.S. history, when a budget fight over Affordable Care Act subsidies left federal workers and agencies in limbo. Supporters cast the pay freeze as a basic fairness issue, arguing lawmakers should not collect salaries while the public pays the price for gridlock.

​However, the measure only applies to future shutdowns and is unlikely to solve the deeper fight over spending, taxes, and healthcare, all challenges that typically ignite these standoffs. Similar House proposals have been introduced, but it remains unclear whether the lower chamber will take one up.“This is about shared sacrifice. This is about putting our money where our mouth is," said Kennedy.