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HR 5637119th CongressIn Committee

No Work, No Pay Act of 2025

Introduced: Sep 30, 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Kennedy, Mike [R-UT-3] (R-Utah)
Economy & TaxesLabor & Employment
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The bill, titled “To prohibit the pay of Members of Congress during periods in which a Government shutdown is in effect, and for other purposes,” would withhold the salaries of Members of Congress during any period a federal government shutdown is in effect. A government shutdown occurs when funding for federal government operations has not been enacted, causing nonessential activities to cease and many federal workers to be furloughed. The bill’s stated purpose appears to be tying lawmakers’ compensation to the government funding status, potentially creating a financial consequence for a funding lapse. Because the full text is not provided, the specific definitions, exceptions, enforcement mechanisms, retroactivity, and how this interacts with existing pay and benefits laws are not known and would require review of the complete bill.

Key Points

  • 1Prohibits pay to Members of Congress during government shutdown periods.
  • 2Trigger: a government shutdown, defined by lapse or deficiency of funding for federal operations due to appropriations inaction.
  • 3Coverage: applies to Members of Congress (Senators and Representatives) as the subject whose pay is affected; does not specify staff pay within the provided information.
  • 4Enforcement/administration: details (how pay is withheld, by whom, and for how long) are not included in the excerpt; the full text would specify payroll actions and any exceptions.
  • 5Scope beyond pay: the phrase “and for other purposes” indicates there may be additional related provisions in the bill, but those specifics are not known from the provided material.

Impact Areas

Primary: Members of Congress (Senators and Representatives) would see their salaries withhold during any federal government shutdown.Secondary: Taxpayers and federal government operations might experience a perceived accountability mechanism; federal employees and contractors affected by the shutdown would still be impacted by the broader shutdown, but not directly by this bill unless it changes funding or pay dynamics for lawmakers.Additional impacts: Potential constitutional or legal questions could arise about congressional pay, enforcement, and how this interacts with existing laws on compensation, prevailing overtime/allowances, and separation-of-powers considerations; the full text would be needed to assess these issues. Public perception and political dynamics surrounding shutdowns could be influenced if lawmakers’ pay is routinely withheld during funding gaps.
Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 2, 2025