US Lawmakers Told to Pass Budget or Have Pay Withheld
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In a move aimed at pressuring the Senate, which has not debated a budget since 2009, members of the Republican-controlled House are threatening to bring to vote a debt measure to withhold pay for either House or Senate members if the chamber in which they serve fails to pass a budget plan by April.
In a move aimed at pressuring the Senate, which has not debated a budget since 2009, members of the Republican-controlled House are threatening to bring to vote a debt measure to withhold pay for either House or Senate members if the chamber in which they serve fails to pass a budget plan by April.
Despite President Barack Obama’s insistence that no ransom will be collected in exchange for an increase in the national debt ceiling, House Speaker John Boehner on Monday declared that the House of Representatives will continue to “pursue strategies that will obligate the Senate to finally join the House in confronting the government’s spending problem.”
Speaking at his first news conference for the year, Boehner said the House will push forward its so-called “No Budget, No Pay” act, which mandates that both chambers of Congress pass a budget in the next four months or have their pay legally withheld from them. He said:
[quote] Over the last four years, House Republicans have offered plans, our budget plans. We’ve done our budgets but it’s been nearly four years since the Senate has done a budget. Most Americans believe if you don’t do your job you shouldn’t get paid. That’s the basis for No Budget, No Pay. It’s time for the Senate to act. [/quote]
The “No Budget, No Pay” idea had previously been regarded as a gimmick and had been earlier dismissed by many lawmakers as unconstitutional since it appears to run counter to a provision that prohibits Congress from making pay adjustments until an election has passed.
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[quote] But to avoid any constitutional violations, the withheld salaries would only be released at the end of the current Congress in January 2015, even if a budget doesn’t ever pass. [/quote]
“Taxpayers understand that you can’t keep spending money that you don’t have, so we’re going to continue to focus, especially here over this next 90-, 120-day period, on bringing some fiscal responsibility to Washington,” Boehner said.
The bill, if voted into law, will also temporarily increase the debt ceiling for three months, granting the Treasury Department until May 18 the additional borrowing authority to meet payment obligations.
In the ongoing debate over how to rein in the $1.1 trillion U.S. federal budget deficit, Republicans have demanded that any increase in the debt limit be matched with equal spending cuts, while the Democrats led by Obama seek what they call a “balanced approach” that includes new tax revenues.
House Republicans appear confident that they will have the votes to pass the measure even though most Democrats are expected to vote against it because it sets the stage for another potential debt crisis this summer.
However, the White House on Tuesday said the President would support a short-term debt limit increase, saying it “lifts the immediate threat of a default.”
The last debt ceiling battle between Congress and Obama ended in July 2011, after bringing the nation close to default on its debt and resulting in a credit rating downgrade as well as financial market turmoil.
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