U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., speaks during an event at the Capitol in Bismarck on Dec. 19, 2024. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
WASHINGTON (North Dakota Monitor) – U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., is pushing for a bill that would prohibit federal lawmakers from receiving paychecks during a government shutdown.
Fedorchak and Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., along with 18 other freshman members of the House, sent a letter to Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., on Tuesday urging him to bring the Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act to the House floor for consideration.
“Members should share in the consequences of a shutdown — not be insulated from them,” the letter states. “Doing so would better align incentives to come to the negotiating table, reinforce accountability, and demonstrate to the American people that we take our responsibilities seriously.”
Fedorchak, who is serving her first term, said in an interview Wednesday that she was surprised to see how easy it was to shut down the government after witnessing it last fall.
A 43-day full government shutdown occurred in October and November after Democrats opposed continuing resolutions to keep the government open in an attempt to address expiring Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. Those tax credits expired at the end of 2025, which increased premiums for some Americans who receive their health insurance through the health care marketplace.
“There’s very little friction to prevent it,” Fedorchak said of government shutdowns. “A big part of that, in my opinion, is because the members of Congress don’t suffer any consequences when the government shuts down.”
The bill, introduced by Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., would hold daily congressional pay in an escrow account until the shutdown is resolved. It was passed unanimously out of the Committee on House Administration on a 10-0 vote.
Under the legislation, members of Congress would not receive back pay during the time the government was closed, Fedorchak said.
“Passing a budget is one of our most basic and most important jobs, and when we fail to do that, we need to have consequences,” she said.
Fedorchak and Goodlander held a joint news conference in front of the Capitol on Tuesday.
Goodlander, who is also a freshman lawmaker, said both she and Fedorchak have served a total of 466 days in the House and the government has been fully, or partially, shut down for more than 100 of those days.
“It is a bipartisan bill,” Goodlander said during the news conference. “It is ready for primetime, and the speaker should bring this bill to the floor without delay.”
North Dakota Republican U.S. House candidate Alex Balazs said he supports the intent of the bill, but suggested that daily congressional pay should be donated to veterans service organizations or food pantries during government shutdowns.
Democratic-NPL U.S. House candidate Trygve Hammer said he also believes members of Congress should not be paid during a government shutdown. However, he added that the bill wouldn’t have the desired effect of bringing people to the table to negotiate because members of Congress are generally more wealthy than typical voters.
“Bottom line, it’s a symbolic gesture,” Hammer said.
Fedorchak said Congress has many members who are not independently wealthy.
Three of the longest government shutdowns occurred during President Donald Trump’s first and second terms in office, including the shutdown last year.
The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down since Feb. 14 and operating without funding. Trump signed a memo in March ordering the Office of Management and Budget to pay DHS employees affected by the shutdown.
Democrats have been opposing DHS funding until reforms could be made to immigration and customs enforcement after the January killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal agents. Senate Republicans are proposing to fund the agency for three years through a budget reconciliation package that would require a majority vote of the Senate.
A partial government shutdown during Trump’s first term in office lasted 34 days and affected multiple federal agencies. Democrats voted against attempts to reopen the government due to concerns over using federal funds to pay for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
A 16-day full government shutdown occurred in 2013 under President Barack Obama and partial shutdowns, totaling 26 days, happened in 1995-96 under President Bill Clinton. All other shutdowns since 1980 have lasted three or fewer days.
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