John Neely Kennedy

Senate Floor Speech Introducing the 'No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians' and 'Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns' Bills

delivered 5 November 2025, U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.

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[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio]

Mr. President, this weekend I -- I watched, probably like you, a -- a number of folks go on television and confidently predict that we were going to be out of the shutdown. Some said as early as Wednesday. One confidently predicted Thursday. A couple more said Friday. So, when I came back on Monday, I was -- I was pretty sanguine about things.

It gives me no joy to say this, but I was wrong. I -- I don't know -- as -- as bad as -- as this multiple-vehicle pile-up looks from the outside, you ought to sit from the inside. I know you know what I'm talking about, Mr. President.¹

We voted my -- the Republicans have voted 14 times to come out of the shutdown. My Democratic friends have voted 14 times to stay shut down. And I think it's going to be like that for a while.

I used to have a...beagle, Mr. President. I loved him to death. His name was "Roger." He was a rascal. Roger would run off. He was a rabbit dog that we picked up as a stray. Rabbit Roger would run off for three days, scare me to death. I was afraid he was going to die. And after three days, he'd come staggering back home. And he always had roadkill on his mouth. And he would have that roadkill under my back porch.

And where we are now in negotiating out of this shutdown looks like something Roger used to hide under my back porch. I -- We're supposed to have a vote tomorrow. We don't know what we're voting on, but we've been promised we're going to have a vote. And I hope we do, and I hope I'm wrong, and I hope we come out of this shutdown very soon. But I'm not going to lie to the American people. I think we're going to be in it for a while.

Now, as everyone knows, folks aren't being paid while we're in a shutdown.

Our air traffic controllers are not being paid. In fact, starting tomorrow, the -- the airlines are going to be canceling flights.

Our staffs are not being paid.
Federal employees are not being paid.
These young men and women here, our pages, are not being paid.
Our military is only being partially paid.²

I'm -- I'm confused about SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] payments. Some say that the payments are being made. Some say they aren't. I don't know who's telling the truth, but I do know this: I don't think anybody wants to see anybody hungry in America.³

The only people that I can ascertain who are being paid are: Members of Congress.

Now, I'm not being paid. I...said I wasn't going to take a salary during the shutdown. Some of my colleagues are -- and I'm not judging anybody. I'm not -- I'm really -- The purpose of this is not to judge anybody. I'm just saying that it's time that Congress set an example.

I've got two bills I'm going to offer up today.

The -- The first one is called the No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act. This just says that while...we're in a shutdown, members of Congress don't get paid, and they don't get back pay.

The second bill is entitled Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act. That bill says while we're in a shutdown, members of Congress -- Congress don't get paid, but they will get paid. They'll get their money in arrears after we open government back up.

Now, I'm...rather fond of the Constitution, as most people are. I'm well aware of the 27th Amendment, which says,

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.

What that means, of course, is that you can't change the pay for a congressman until after you've had an election.

I -- I think my -- my bills are constitutional for two reasons:

Number one, we're not changing the rate of compensation. We're just saying during a shutdown, you're not going to get your money.

Number two, there is precedent for this. Back in 2013, President Obama had Congress pass what's called the No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. President Obama's bill said, "Look, Congress is about to go into a shutdown. Fine, have at it. Knock yourselves out. Go into a shutdown. But if you don't come out of that shutdown by this particular date, you're not going to get paid." And you know what?

Members of Congress had an epiphany.
They had a Damascene moment.
They were born again.⁴

They got out of the shutdown in time to be paid.

I -- I'm not trying to put down anybody. I'm not trying to -- to condemn folks who have been taking their salary. I'm not saying they don't earn every bit of it. But I am saying what's good for the goose is -- is good for the gander. And, I'm going to -- I'm going to offer up these two bills for -- for the Members' consideration.

So, starting with my first bill, which would say Members of Congress can't be paid and don't get back pay even after we end the shutdown. That's called the No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act.

I ask a unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of -- of my bill, that bill, which I just described, which is at the desk. I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

¹ He's talking a Catachresis

² Rhetorical figure Enumeratio

³ With adversarial rhetoric, it is prudent for both parties to find one, single strategic claim to begin with as a means of establishing rational common ground. To that, this premise is golden: "Nobody wants to see anybody hungry in America."

⁴ Rhetorical figure Scesis Onomaton

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