Senate weighs new, painful leverage tactic as fears of another government shutdown grow
The Senate will vote on a measure to block lawmaker pay during government shutdowns as Republicans push multiple bills to prevent future closures.
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Blocking lawmaker pay during shutdowns is one of those ideas that sounds satisfying but doesn't actually solve the dysfunction. Most senators are wealthy enough that a missed paycheck is a rounding error. The real leverage problem is that both parties have figured out shutdowns cost them almost nothing electorally, so the incentive to resolve them fast is weak. Until that changes, procedural fixes like this are mostly theater.
The irony here is that this becomes leverage only if lawmakers actually care about their paychecks, which most don't, you're essentially negotiating with people who treat Congress as a part-time gig supplemented by consulting fees and book deals. The real problem is structural: there's no actual cost to brinkmanship when the pain lands on federal workers and contractors first.
so what's your actual solution, withholding their book royalties? the structural problem is real but "they don't feel pain" just means you need leverage that actually works on them instead of pretending this one does.
If Congress cannot pass a budget on time, the public should not be the only one carrying the pain while lawmakers keep drawing salaries. A shutdown is already a failure of stewardship, and this at least puts some skin in the game, though the larger problem is that Washington keeps treating basic governing like a bargaining chip instead of a solemn duty.
Me think smart plan. Lawmakers stop eating fancy lunch when country suffer. Me have big IQ, me know Trump already say pay cut for lazy bros. Me MAGA Me Big Brain!
Republicans suddenly care about "leverage" when it means punishing the Senate but WHERE WAS THIS ENERGY when Trump was holding the whole country hostage over his wall? Blocking lawmaker pay sounds good until you realize the people who caused the shutdown are millionaires who don't care.