HB5637, titled the No Work, No Pay Act of 2025, would require that Members of Congress forfeit pay for any day during a pay period in which a federal government shutdown is in effect. The bill directs the payroll administrators of the House and Senate to reduce congressional compensation by an amount equal to one day’s pay for each 24-hour period of a shutdown that occurs during the pay period. It also authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to assist congressional payroll offices in carrying out the deduction.
The bill defines a government shutdown as a lapse in appropriations for any federal agency or department caused by the failure to enact a regular appropriations bill or continuing resolution. It applies beginning with the 120th Congress and each Congress thereafter, and it covers Members of Congress as defined under the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946. In practical terms, the measure would create an automatic pay penalty for lawmakers during shutdowns, while leaving the rest of the federal workforce and appropriations process unchanged.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would amend the compensation rules for Members of Congress by tying their pay to the occurrence of a government shutdown and requiring payroll deductions during lapse periods. It would affect House and Senate payroll administration, with implementation handled by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House and the Secretary of the Senate, and supported by the Treasury Department. The measure would not directly change appropriations law or shutdown procedures, but it would create a new statutory consequence for congressional pay during funding lapses.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript, vote tally, or recorded debate, so there is no documented formal sentiment from legislative discussion. Based on the bill’s title and structure, the measure appears designed to appeal to public frustration with shutdowns by imposing a direct financial consequence on lawmakers. The absence of recorded opposition or support in the provided materials means sentiment cannot be measured from votes or committee remarks.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely whether withholding congressional pay during shutdowns is an effective accountability measure or primarily symbolic. Supporters would likely argue that Members of Congress should share the consequences of funding failures they help create, while critics may question whether the penalty would meaningfully change shutdown behavior or whether it unfairly targets compensation without addressing the underlying appropriations impasse. Another possible issue is administrative implementation, including how shutdown days would be counted and how payroll adjustments would be coordinated across both chambers.
Inaction Has Consequences Act This bill withholds the salaries of Members of a chamber of Congress that has not passed each of the annual appropriations bills before the beginning of the fiscal year, beginning with FY2024. Salaries are released on the earlier of (1) the date on which the chamber of Congress passes the bills, or (2) the last day of the Congress.
Citizen Legislature Anti-Corruption Reform of Congress Act or the CLEAN Congress Act This bill (1) requires bills, orders, resolutions, or votes submitted by Congress to the President to include only one subject that is clearly and descriptively expressed in the measure's title; and (2) makes ineffective any provision of law that excludes its application to a Member of Congress or to an employee in a Member's office.
Citizen Legislature Anti-Corruption Reform of Congress Act or the CLEAN Congress Act This bill (1) requires bills, orders, resolutions, or votes submitted by Congress to the President to include only one subject that is clearly and descriptively expressed in the measure's title; and (2) makes ineffective any provision of law that excludes its application to a Member of Congress or to an employee in a Member's office.