Americans are no stranger to government shutdowns after facing the longest in history last year, but now the GOP is warning another one is on the way.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is already predicting a 2026 Democrat-caused shutdown unless the majority enforces deadlines, pushes for reform, and holds members accountable who are “hell bent” on forcing their policies into appropriations legislation.
The legislative season to appropriate government spending for the 2027 fiscal year is already upon Congress, all while the Department of Homeland Security is still not fully funded from 2025. Republicans face the Sept. 30 deadline to pass all 12 appropriations bills to fund government departments and avoid another shutdown.
Schmitt told reporters Tuesday night that Democrats are “legislative terrorists” who want a shutdown, and he said Republicans “ought to be prepared” for another.
“Look at what they’re willing to do with ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. It’s just an extension of ‘defund the police.’ It’ll be something else. It may be ICE again,” Schmitt said. “We ought to have some plans in place to account for that, to make it painful for them if they want to do that, because the American people suffer on it.”
Schmitt warned that it’s “game on” if Democrats continue to implement their agenda into appropriations legislation.
“Guess who’s coming on USAID [United States Agency for International Development] next year? Me. We’re going to start pulling stuff out. Great, game on, USAID. We’re not going to do Guatemalan sex change anymore,” he said, hinting at a future legislative push.
Schmitt Calls for ‘Regular Order’
Schmitt explained that if the Senate operates in “regular order,” they may be able to avoid a shutdown.
“I would prefer individual appropriations bills,” Schmitt said, instead of packaging 12 separate department spending bills into one.
“To [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune’s credit, he did have 11 of the 12 done. All 12 were out there. My first two years, Chuck Schumer didn’t have a single appropriations bill on the Senate floor ever,” Schmitt said, referencing when Schumer avoided regular order in 2023 by passing the funding bill as a giant package rather than giving each bill separate debate time and a separate vote.
“I’m good with a more free-wheeling Senate floor where people are actually out there proposing amendments, and then maybe have some unusual coalitions. To me, that’s legislating. But that’s not in our muscle memory,” Schmitt said.
Schmitt added that there are ways Congress can be held accountable. When asked if he would support canceling the monthlong August recess to meet the deadline, Schmitt said, “If that’s what they’re willing to do, well, I’m all for that.”
“No matter what we do on the front end, there has to be something at the deadline that solves the problem,” Schmitt continued.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has proposed legislation that would act as a Band-Aid for shutdowns, which Schmitt supports. The bill would implement “automatic two-week rolling continuing resolutions for any department for which an appropriations bill or longer-term continuing resolution hasn’t been passed” by prorating the previous year’s spending.
The legislation was originally introduced and passed out of committee in 2019 but has still not been granted a vote.
Paycheck Penalties
Schmitt said he also supports legislative options that would threaten or punish members who insist on keeping the government shut down by withholding their paychecks.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., a member of the Appropriations Committee, introduced the No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act. This legislation would withhold paychecks during a shutdown, and members would not receive back pay.
“If we can’t do our jobs and fund the government, we don’t deserve a paycheck—plain and simple,” Kennedy said in a November press release.
In reality, the Senate is likely to see a less harsh version of this bill without language that would withhold back pay.
