Senator Rick Scott’s (R-FL) No Budget No Pay Act has made the annual National Taxpayers Union (NTU) “No Brainers” list for the year 2023. The bill would “prohibit Members of Congress from receiving their salaries if they fail to pass a concurrent budget resolution and the required appropriations bills by the start of each fiscal year.”
Regarding the bill, Sen. Scott mentioned, that Washington is “failing the American people” with its trillion dollars in debt.
“Our nation is over $31 trillion in debt after years of Washington failing the American people and shirking its responsibility of passing a real, balanced budget that prioritizes the needs of American families,” said Sen. Scott. “Now more than ever, we need to bring fiscal sanity back to Washington, and that starts with holding Congress accountable to do one of its most basic duties: passing a budget.”
He concluded, “There is no reason members of Congress should be held to a different standard than any other American family or business. In the real world, if you don’t do your job, you don’t get paid. Our No Budget, No Pay bill simply requires Congress to pass an annual budget and meet appropriations bill deadlines, or forgo their taxpayer-funded salaries until the job is done.”
Moreover, the National Taxpayers Union Senior Policy and Government Affairs Manager Nick Johns said that bills like the No Budget No Pay Act would improve government functionality.
“Congress can seem more divided ideologically than ever today, but the bipartisan legislation highlighted in this year’s No-Brainers list shows that members of both parties can agree on issues that make a difference in the lives of taxpayers,” said Johns. “If Congressional leadership prioritizes these bills and proposals like them, it would go a long way toward improving taxpayers’ views on the functionality of government and restoring some faith in our governing institutions.”
Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Katie Britt (R-AL) joined Sen. Scott in the bipartisan effort.
