SoapZone Community: Politics Message Board

Congress does get paid during a shutdown. Lawmakers have repeatedly proposed bills that would stop that practice, but those measures have not become law.

Members of Congress are not subject to furlough because of their constitutional responsibilities. Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution says, “Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.” Member salaries have been provided by a permanent, mandatory appropriation for decades.

Most representatives and senators are paid $174,000 a year. The only exceptions include the House speaker, who receives $223,500 annually, and the Senate president pro tempore, as well as the majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate, who are each paid $193,400 a year.