Shutdown Fairness Act
Latest action · Nov 7, 2025 Upon reconsideration, cloture on the motion to proceed to the measure not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 53 - 43. Record Vote Number: 609.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedOct 15, 2025
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Shutdown Fairness Act
This bill provides appropriations to pay federal employees who work during a government shutdown.
Specifically, the bill provides appropriations for federal agencies to provide standard rates of pay, allowances, pay differentials, benefits, and other payments to excepted employees for work performed during any period in which interim continuing appropriations or full-year appropriations are not in effect for a fiscal year (i.e., a government shutdown). An excepted employee is an employee who is required to work during a government shutdown.
Under current law, excepted employees are not paid until the government shutdown is over. This bill provides appropriations to pay excepted employees during a government shutdown. The bill also specifies that the term excepted employee includes certain contractors who support federal employees during a government shutdown and members of the Armed Forces who are on active duty.
A federal agency may not use the funds provided by this bill during any period in which continuing appropriations are in effect for the purpose of paying excepted employees of the agency.
The bill must take effect as if it had been enacted on September 30, 2025.
Recorded votes 2
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate 609 | On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed S. 3012 | Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected53–43 | Nov 7, 2025 |
| Senate 585 | On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed S. 3012 | Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected54–45 | Oct 23, 2025 |
Cosponsors 13
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 15, 2025 to Oct 22, 2025, with 7 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-LA | Bill Cassidy | Original | Oct 15, 2025 |
| R-AK | Dan Sullivan | Original | Oct 15, 2025 |
| R-ID | James E. Risch | Original | Oct 15, 2025 |
| R-ID | Mike Crapo | Original | Oct 15, 2025 |
| R-NC | Ted Budd | Original | Oct 15, 2025 |
| R-IN | Todd Young | Original | Oct 15, 2025 |
| R-AR | Tom Cotton | Original | Oct 15, 2025 |
| R-PA | David McCormick | Oct 20, 2025 | |
| R-WY | John Barrasso | Oct 20, 2025 | |
| R-ND | John Hoeven | Oct 20, 2025 | |
| R-UT | Mike Lee | Oct 20, 2025 | |
| R-FL | Rick Scott | Oct 21, 2025 | |
| R-OK | James Lankford | Oct 22, 2025 |
Actions 20
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Nov 7, 2025Motion by Senator Thune to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 3012 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 585) agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
- Nov 7, 2025Motion by Senator Thune to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 3012 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 585) agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote. (: CR S7996)
- Nov 7, 2025Motion by Senator Thune to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 3012 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 585) agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote. (CR S7996)
- Nov 7, 2025Motion to proceed to consideration of the motion to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 3012 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 585) agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
- Nov 7, 2025Motion to proceed to consideration of the motion to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 3012 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 585) agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote. (: CR S7996)
Amendments 2
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA 3932 | Recorded in Congress.gov (updated 2025-10-20) | John Kennedy R-LA | Recorded in Congress.gov (updated 2025-10-20) |
| SA 3933 | Recorded in Congress.gov (updated 2025-10-21) | John Kennedy R-LA | Recorded in Congress.gov (updated 2025-10-21) |
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 3001 | Shutdown Fairness Act | Related bill | Oct 9, 2025 |
| S 3066 | Pay the People Act | Related bill | Oct 28, 2025 |
| HR 5801 | Shutdown Fairness Act | Identical bill | Oct 21, 2025 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 16, 2025Placed on Calendar Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.