New proposed bill would not pay congress if they don’t pass a budget… What a great idea!
A group of Democratic and Republican Housemembers say it’s time to punish themselves ifCongress keeps failing at its basic duty of passing an annual budget — and they want to hit where it hurts: their own paychecks.
Even though House Speaker John A. Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor haven’t been keen on the idea in the past, Virginia Republican Scott Rigelland a bipartisan group of lawmakers urged them Wednesday to advance legislation suspending members’ pay if Congress doesn’t pass a budget on time.
The goal may seem relatively simple — except that Congress hasn’t passed a budget in more than 1,000 days, instead relying on short-term funding bills often approved at the eleventh hour after contentious partisan gridlock over whether to raise taxes or cut spending.
Another dramatic showdown over the budget could take place later this year, with Mr. Boehner appearing to threaten Tuesday that he would stand in the way of raising the debt ceiling if Democrats don’t agree to enough spending cuts.
A sure solution is to put members’ pay on the line if they don’t start thinking longer-term, said Rep. Jim Cooper, Tennessee Democrat, and sponsor of the “No Budget, No Pay” Act. http://goo.gl/Bes0R
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