MAGA Act Guarantees Pay for Federal Workers During Shutdowns—But Freezes Salaries for Top Brass

The Make America Govern Again Act (MAGA Act) is designed to tackle one of the most frustrating aspects of Washington gridlock: the government shutdown. For most federal workers, this bill is good news, but for high-level officials, it’s a direct financial consequence.

Your Paycheck is Safe (Mostly)

If you’re one of the millions of federal employees—whether you’re a civilian working at the VA or a member of the uniformed services—this bill guarantees your paycheck keeps coming even if Congress fails to pass a budget (SEC. 2). Money will automatically be pulled from the Treasury to cover your salary and operating expenses during the funding lapse. This means that unlike past shutdowns where essential personnel worked without pay and others were furloughed, your financial life won’t be immediately disrupted by political fighting. For the average family relying on that biweekly check, this removes a major source of shutdown anxiety.

The Brass Gets Burned

While the rank-and-file are protected, the bill carves out specific exceptions at the top. Heads of Executive departments (like the Secretary of Defense) and their deputy secretaries are explicitly excluded from this automatic pay guarantee during a shutdown (SEC. 2). Essentially, if they can't get the budget passed, they don't get paid. This is a clear attempt to put financial pressure on the top executive leadership to keep the government open. Even more dramatically, high-level, non-career staff in the Executive Office of the President—the folks holding policy-determining or noncareer Senior Executive Service (SES) positions—will have their pay completely frozen during a shutdown, with no promise of back pay via escrow (SEC. 5). If you’re a political appointee advising the President, a shutdown means your income stops cold.

Escrow for the Elected Officials

What about the people who actually cause the shutdown? The bill introduces an escrow system for Members of Congress, the President, and the Vice President (SEC. 3, SEC. 4). If a shutdown occurs, the salary they earn during that period won't be paid out immediately. Instead, it gets put into a special account. They don't get access to that money until the government reopens. This temporary withholding aims to put skin in the game for elected officials. However, because of constitutional rules (specifically the 27th Amendment, which prevents Congress from changing its own pay), they do get paid eventually. The money is released the moment the shutdown ends, or on the last day of their term if the shutdown lasts that long. So, while it’s a temporary inconvenience—imagine not having access to your paycheck for a few weeks or months—it’s not a permanent loss of income, unlike the pay freeze for the high-level EOP staff.