Senate takes major first step to prevent future shutdowns with painful accountability play

The upper chamber on Wednesday unanimously advanced a resolution from Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., that, if passed, would prevent lawmakers from getting paid during future shutdowns. It comes after the once-rare occurrence became a political cudgel wielded by Democrats time and again in the last year. 

"I think it's, they realize, I mean, that's a really bad posture to be in if you're opposing something like that at a time when you got a lot of government employees who aren't getting paid, and, you know, people up here are voting against depriving themselves of pay when everybody else is not getting paid," Thune said. 

"So I just think that's a very difficult political vote for Democrats," he continued. "I think they've recognized it, and I'm guessing they had a fairly robust conversation at their lunch yesterday."

Kennedy's resolution, which he described as a resolution of "shared sacrifice," can't take effect until after the upcoming election cycle, adding more concern that Democrats may be tempted to repeat the cycle.  

"If I were king for a day - I'm not, I don't aspire to be - but if I were, I'd make this resolution effective immediately," Kennedy said. "Because I'm … very concerned that my Senate colleagues on the Democratic side are going to try to shut down the government yet again right before the elections to try to create chaos to affect the midterm elections."

And it would only pertain to the Senate - a point he made clear on the Senate floor just before the vote. 

That's because shutdowns have become a common tool over the last year and a half that Democrats have turned to as a negotiating counterpoint. In Trump's second term alone, Congress has been on the precipice of a closure four times.