Sponsor
Cory Mills
Representative · R-FL
Representative · R-FL
The bill seeks to reduce government shutdowns by putting a strong personal financial penalty on lawmakers, trading a likely increase in accountability and reduced shutdown risk against constitutional/legal risks, unequal timing effects, and potential disruption to legislative work.
Members of Congress: their pay would drop to $1 during any session that includes a funding lapse, creating a direct financial incentive for lawmakers to avoid government shutdowns and thereby protecting taxpayers from service disruptions.
Middle-class families and taxpayers: by making lawmakers personally bear an immediate penalty for missed appropriations, the measure could increase political accountability and public trust in the budget process.
Members of Congress and the legislative process: imposing punitive pay cuts could raise separation-of-powers and constitutional concerns about altering legislator compensation midterm, risking legal challenges that could invalidate or delay the policy.
Voters and current officeholders: the penalty does not take effect until after the next general election, reducing immediate leverage to prevent imminent shutdowns and creating unequal treatment between current and future Members.
State and local governments (and the public services they rely on): financial pressure on lawmakers could distract or demoralize Members and disrupt essential legislative work during funding lapses, worsening coordination and response during shutdowns.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
If a congressional session includes any day during a lapse in appropriations caused by Congress, each Member’s pay for that session period is reduced to $1; applies after the next regular federal general election following enactment.
Official title: To reduce the pay of Members of Congress in the case of a lapse in appropriations, and for other purposes.
Introduced December 12, 2025 by Cory Mills · Last progress December 12, 2025
If any day during a session of Congress falls inside a lapse in appropriations caused by Congress failing to pass a regular appropriations bill or continuing resolution, this law cuts each Member of Congress’s pay for that entire session to $1 for the period covering those days. The definition of "Member of Congress" refers to existing statute, and the pay cut applies only to qualifying days after the next regularly scheduled general election following enactment.