Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) requested on March 26 that the Financial Clerk of the U.S. Senate withhold his salary until the ongoing shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is resolved. The funding lapse has left DHS personnel, including Transportation Security Administration officers, working without pay as travel disruptions and staffing shortages continue.
Kennedy said his request was intended to show solidarity with federal workers who are not receiving paychecks during the shutdown. “If TSA officers, Border Patrol agents, and other DHS personnel are not getting paid, neither should senators. That’s what my letter is about. It’s about shared sacrifice. I’m asking the Senate Financial Clerk to withhold my paycheck until DHS is open again. We should not be cashing checks while the hardworking men and women protecting our homeland go without pay,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy’s action follows his previous efforts to pass a resolution that would require senators’ pay to be withheld during government shutdowns. On March 23, he attempted to advance this resolution by unanimous consent in the Senate, but it was blocked by Senate Democrats. He described his resolution as being about “shared sacrifice” and sending a message to Americans.
Earlier versions of this legislation were introduced by Kennedy in November 2025 during a historic 43-day government shutdown and received unanimous bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate Rules Committee in December 2025.
Kennedy holds top Republican positions on subcommittees for energy and water development and economic policy, according to the official website. He serves on committees for appropriations, banking, budget, and judiciary; he also contributes as an adjunct professor and substitute teacher according to his official website. Kennedy earned degrees from Vanderbilt University magna cum laude in political science, philosophy and economics; a law degree from University of Virginia; and a Bachelor of Civil Law with first class honors from Oxford University according to his official biography.
He has authored books on Constitutional law and Louisiana Products Liability Act according to his official website, served as executive editor of Virginia Law Review, president of his senior class at Vanderbilt University according to public records, and ran for office focusing on policies benefiting constituents as noted by official sources.