Rep. James Introduces Money Where Our Mouths Are Act to Cut Congressional Pay During Shutdowns
This bill is currently in the House committee stage and needs to be reviewed by the Committee on House Administration and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform before it can move forward. No action has been taken on this bill since March 2026. Because there has been no progress for three months, the bill is considered stalled.
While these bills are very popular with voters, they rarely move forward because lawmakers are hesitant to cut their own pay and there are legal concerns regarding the Constitution.
This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.
Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 4287 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 4287 (118th) →Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
While this bill does not directly change pay or working conditions for rank-and-file federal employees, it could indirectly benefit them by pressuring Congress to avoid shutdowns. Federal workers are the ones who get furloughed or forced to work without pay during shutdowns, and this bill tries to align lawmakers' financial stakes with those of the broader federal workforce.
Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Money Where Our Mouths Are Act
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