There’s nothing common sense about this.
The 27th Amendment prohibits varying the compensation of members of Congress during a term.
Why?
Because the Framers didn’t want pay raises OR decreases to be used as bribes to compel members to vote for or against legislation.
Imagine how things would play out if members knew that by voting for a bill they would get paid but by voting against a bill they would not get paid.
The incentive for self-dealing is horrible. If you value a representative system of government, you don’t want congressional compensation tied to how they vote. That’s why we have the 27th Amendment.
Thank you, @POTUS!
If we can’t fund the government, we don’t deserve our paychecks.
That’s common sense to the American people, but unfortunately, common sense is illegal in Washington.
Oh, no, I don’t think the 27th amendment says what you think it says. It only states that any law passed that affects compensation of members of Congress cannot go into effect until the next term. It doesn’t prohibit passing a law that makes Congressional pay nonessential during a shutdown — it just cannot take effect until the next Congress
Nov 8, 2025 · 5:26 PM UTC