Senator Johnson pushes to pass bill allowing essential workers get paid on a regular basis during government shutdown

Now in it’s 25th day, the Government shutdown is the second longest shutdown in the history of the United States.

Just because the Government as a whole is not operating, there are plenty of essential jobs that require government workers continue to show up and perform their job duties, and for this reason, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson spoke on the Senate floor Thursday, October 23, 2025, to discuss his Shutdown Fairness Act, which ensures that all federal employees reporting to work during a shutdown receive pay and allowances on a regular basis during a lapse in appropriations. He called for renewed bipartisan cooperation to demonstrate that the Senate can work as intended.

Workers such as law enforcement, air traffic control, border security, National Weather Service and disaster relief will not be paid during the shutdown but are legally entitled to receive retroactive pay once the shutdown ends. Johnson’s bill would allow for payments during a long shutdown rather than all at once at the end, saying, “They’re going to get paid anyway.”

Johnson said, “There are more than two million federal employees who are now being forced to work because they’re essential. They’re protecting our nation. They’re protecting our safety and security. Let’s sit down in good faith, and hammer out the amendments, and let’s get this thing passed next week,”