Here’s who gets paid — and who doesn’t — during a federal government shutdown

Ohio Rep. Emilia Sykes consoles Nicole Jones, a TSA employee of 10 years, at the Akron-Canton Airport during a special food pantry for federal employees amid the shutdown, October 20, 2025. Andrew Dolph/USA Today Network/Imagn Images

Federal workers are bearing the brunt of the government shutdown, with more than 1 million of them going unpaid while Democrats and Republicans in Congress argue over funding federal agencies for the current fiscal year.

But those lawmakers on Capitol Hill aren’t missing any paychecks during the impasse, which began October 1, with no end in sight. They continue to receive their salaries, as directed by the Constitution – although some have said they wouldn’t accept their pay or will donate the money.

Shutdowns typically fall unevenly on those who wor