Senators agree to forgo shutdown paychecks — but many won't feel the pain

By Fox News · Fox News

Senators will now go without pay during future government shutdowns, but for many, they don’t need the paycheck. The Senate unanimously agreed to forgo their paychecks during future shutdowns, with the money being withheld until a deal is struck to reopen the government. But much of the upper chamber is populated with lawmakers who are already wealthy before their time in office. "There are some members who are very independently wealthy that their congressional paycheck is a rounding error to their investments," Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital. "Fine, I’m not pejorative of that at all. But we need to actually end government shutdowns." SENATORS AGREE TO GO WITHOUT PAY DURING SHUTDOWNS AFTER HISTORIC CLOSURES LEFT WORKERS UNPAID In the last year, Congress has been unable to keep the government open twice. The first time for 43 days , and the most recent for 76 days. Republicans worry that before the midterm elections, and before the rule change becomes official, that Senate Democrats may again try to shutter the government to gain a political edge. They hope that the rule change, pushed by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., is at least enough to convince some lawmakers not to do it. However, nearly three-quarters of the Senate are millionaires, according to an analysis of financial disclosure data reviewed by Fox News Digital and first reported by NOTUS, meaning the fear of missing a paycheck may not be enough to quell the desire to score political points. SENATE WEIGHS NEW, PAINFUL LEVERAGE TACTIC AS FEARS OF ANOTHER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GROW "It certainly doesn't stop future shutdowns," Lankford said. "It just says, ‘Hey, people are not being paid, we're not being paid either.’" Others were more optimistic that by installing the new guardrails on themselves, it could open the door to future legislation that may take shutdowns off the table entirely — like Lankford’s bill that would automatically extend government funding on a temporary, two-week basis i…