H.R. 5891 — Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act

This section requires the payroll administrators of the House of Representatives and Senate to withhold from Members of Congress (i.e., Senators, Representatives, Delegates, Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, President pro tempore, party leaders, and Speaker) an amount equal to one day's pay under 2 U.S.C. 4501 (pro-rated by the number of 24-hour periods of a government shutdown in a pay period) whenever a government shutdown (i.e., lapse in appropriations for one or more federal agencies or departments) is in effect. For shutdown days after the November 2026 federal general election, the withholdings are excluded from pay; for shutdown days from enactment through that date, amounts are held in escrow and released to Members on the effective date to avoid violating the 27th Amendment. (Thus, Members of Congress serving after the 2026 election receive no pay for shutdown days, unlike under current law.) The Secretary of the Treasury must assist the payroll administrators in implementation.