Senator Collins’ Statement on Passage of Legislation to Withhold Pay from Senators During Government Shutdowns

Senator Collins co-sponsored the resolution, which reflects a personal policy of hers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate voted unanimously to withhold pay from senators during government shutdowns:

"This is a matter of fairness. It is not right for senators to receive their paychecks while federal employees are forced to go without pay as a result of Congress's dysfunction. While I hope we do not see another shutdown anytime soon, this has been a longstanding policy of mine and I am glad to see it adopted."

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Senator Collins has always opposed shutdowns and has had a longstanding policy of having her own paychecks withheld during government shutdowns. Senator Collins championed the deal to reopen the government in November 2025. She is the founder of the Common Sense Coalition, a bipartisan group of senators who wrote the framework of the plan that ended the 16-day government shutdown in October 2013 as well as the shutdown in February 2018.

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