Eugene Vindman (D-VA)
No Pay for Congress During Default or Shutdown Act
A Democratic bill with 4 Republican cosponsors · See all 14 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "No Pay for Congress During Default or Shutdown Act" aims to reduce the annual pay of Members of Congress under specific circumstances. If the public debt limit is reached or a Government shutdown occurs, the annual rate of pay for Members is reduced by one day's worth of pay for every 24-hour period the event lasts. For the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, pay may be held in an escrow account and released on the last day of the term to comply with the Constitution. These pay reductions generally apply to days occurring after the November 2026 general election. A Government shutdown is defined as a lapse in appropriations due to a failure to enact a regular appropriations bill or continuing resolution.
Yes· 3 of 7
- Scored +3
Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?
The bill aims to increase fiscal accountability by linking congressional compensation to the prevention of shutdowns and debt limit issues.
- Scored +2
Does this reduce what the federal government owes?
The bill incentivizes timely debt limit resolutions by penalizing congressional pay during defaults.
- Scored +2
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
The bill increases transparency and accountability by creating financial consequences for legislative failure.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Financial Accountability for Debt Limits: The bill reduces the pay of Members of Congress by an amount equal to one day's worth of pay for each 24-hour period that the public debt limit is reached, provided the Federal Government is unable to meet obligations (Section 2).
-
Financial Accountability for Government Shutdowns: The bill reduces the annual rate of pay for Members of Congress for each 24-hour period that a Government shutdown is in effect (Section 3).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Withholding of Pay during the 119th Congress: For the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, payroll administrators must withhold pay into an escrow account if the debt limit is reached or a shutdown occurs, rather than paying the Members directly during that pay period (Section 2 and Section 3).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — The bill aims to increase fiscal accountability by linking congressional compensation to the prevention of shutdowns and debt limit issues. Does this reduce what the federal government owes? — The bill incentivizes timely debt limit resolutions by penalizing congressional pay during defaults. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — It marginally reduces government expenditure by withholding pay from Members of Congress during shutdowns or defaults.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — Avoiding shutdowns provides greater economic certainty for business operations. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Stabilizing government functions avoids the negative economic impacts of shutdowns on low-income families. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Averting debt defaults protects the broader economy and middle-class financial stability.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill increases transparency and accountability by creating financial consequences for legislative failure.
- 11/12/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 11/4/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 10/3/2025
- 4 Cosponsors added.
- 9/30/2025
- 3 Cosponsors added.
- 9/26/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 3/21/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/10/2025
- Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Robert BresnahanRepublican · Pennsylvania
Gilbert CisnerosDemocrat · California
Christopher DeluzioDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Sarah ElfrethDemocrat · Maryland
Brian FitzpatrickRepublican · Pennsylvania
Maggie GoodlanderDemocrat · New Hampshire
Thomas KeanRepublican · New Jersey
Timothy KennedyDemocrat · New York
Greg LandsmanDemocrat · Ohio
Chris PappasDemocrat · New Hampshire
Lloyd SmuckerRepublican · Pennsylvania
Suhas SubramanyamDemocrat · Virginia
Jill TokudaDemocrat · Hawaii
George WhitesidesDemocrat · California