When our government shuts down, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are sent home without pay, show up to work everyday without pay, small businesses lose income, and families relying on assistance programs like SNAP (food stamps) face uncertainty about how they’ll eat. 

Yet, the very people responsible for passing the budget,  Members of Congress and top officials, continue to receive their full paychecks thanks to a “permanent appropriation” law that protects their salaries, even when they fail to fund the rest of the government. That's not right. 

That’s not leadership. That’s privilege at the expense of the American people, literally.

We demand a change to federal law that would:

1. Suspend pay for Members of Congress, the President, and top federal officials during any period of government shutdown.

2. Redirect those withheld funds to support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/EBT) — ensuring that children, seniors, and low-income families can still eat when Washington stops functioning.

This isn’t about partisanship. It’s about fairness and accountability. If working families are forced to struggle during a shutdown, lawmakers should share in that reality, as they are  responsible for not coming to an agreement in time, and should not be shielded  and protected from the impact of the shutdown.

We urge Congress to introduce and pass legislation to:

Amend the Permanent Appropriation for Congressional Salaries (2 U.S.C. § 4501) to include a shutdown clause.

Automatically transfer suspended salary funds into the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s SNAP contingency fund during each lapse in appropriations.

Let’s make government accountability more than just a slogan. Let’s demand fairness: Suspend Congressional pay during shutdowns and redirect that money to the SNAP/EBT program, and to furloughed employees who aren't responsible for these decisions, to help families keep food on the table, their bills paid, and roofs over their heads. 

Sign and share, because accountability shouldn’t take a vacation when the government does.

Sign this petition to demand that our leaders stand with the people they serve and not above them.

#NoPayDuringShutdown

#FundFamiliesNotPolitics

#ShutdownAccountability

#SNAPSupport

#CongressShouldShareThePain