Who Gets Paychecks in a Government Shutdown?

A government shutdown begins at midnight Saturday if Congress doesn't agree on a number of appropriation bills that determine government funding — with no agreement a number of federal employees face furloughs.

But who still gets paid during a government shutdown?

Beginning with the basics — President Joe Biden will still get his paycheck if there is a government shutdown, according to the National Constitution Center (NCC).

While the president gets his check, there is a group of employees in the executive branch that must work, but will not receive check until the shutdown ends, according to the NCC.

The Constitution states that "The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services, a compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected."

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) says that this section of the Constitution serves to effectively guarantee "the President of compensation regardless of any shutdown action."

Congress will also still get paid. That's because since 1983, "Member salaries have been funded in a permanent appropriations account," the CRS explains. Lawmaker salaries do not require annual appropriations approval.

But even though Senators and House members would be paid, their staff would not.

“During a funding gap, pay for congressional employees would not be disbursed if there is no appropriation to fund legislative branch activities,” the CRS says.

Supreme Court justices would continue to be paid during a shutdown, according to the CRS. Other members of the judiciary branch, including magistrate judges and bankruptcy judges, would also continue to be paid.

A spokesperson for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said on Tuesday that the judiciary has enough funding to keep operations running for two weeks if the government shuts down. But, after that period, legal staffing would be limited and those that report to work would have to wait until the shutdown ends to get paid.

It's important to note Medicare and Social Security beneficiaries should also not be worried, as these agencies are considered "mandatory spending" and their services will not be shut down.

Finally, the active-duty members of the military and reservists could still get paid as well, but it's not guaranteed.

During the government shutdown of 2013, for example, Congress took a preemptive measure to ensure military paychecks. They passed a bill right before the shutdown — it was approved by former president Barack Obama — that ensured military servicemen would still get paid despite the government grinding to a halt.

There is still time for it to happen this year and Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., introduced this legislation last week to pay military members in the event of a shutdown. A similar bill was also introduced by a number of Republican Senators on Tuesday, and cosponsored by Kiggans.

As the deadline looms and Congress goes into crisis mode trying to reach an agreement on a package of government funding bills, the White House urged lawmakers on Thursday to focus on the shutdown, and blamed "House Republicans’ chaos and inability to govern."