Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 - Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

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Mr. HELLER. Madam President, I thank my colleagues on the floor for their healthy debate on advancing traffic safety. I am sure we will hear a lot more about it, and I look forward to continued debate.

I also thank my colleague from Missouri for his support on the amendment I am about to offer and talk about. The amendment I am speaking of is the Heller amendment No. 3269 to H.R. 4660.

While I commend the chairwoman and the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee for all of their hard work in putting together the appropriations minibus to be considered on the floor, this is only the first of the appropriations bills that Congress needs to, and should, consider before the end of the fiscal year.

This will not surprise the American public, but this Congress is once again facing another October 1 deadline to complete all of the current fiscal year appropriations bills. We are now well into the year and only now are we starting to bring appropriations bills to the Senate floor. By our own calendar there are only 8 full legislative weeks left to avoid yet another continuing resolution.

Missed deadline after missed deadline has been a staple of this Congress. Without even a basic budget process, we have failed to pass any of the current fiscal year appropriations bills on time so far this year.

I know the Appropriations Committee has been working hard to pass each of their spending bills in committee, but all too often these bills end up being rolled into one large omnibus measure or a continuing resolution that is not subject to any amendments.

As our Nation faces a rising national debt, the American people can no longer afford Congress's failure to tackle our Nation's spending addiction. I must admit that since coming to Washington back in 2006, I have never seen Congress pass all 12 appropriations bills on time. In fact, I am certain most of my colleagues who serve with me today have not experienced a normal appropriations process, and there are probably even more Members who don't think it is even a realistic expectation to pass all 12 appropriations bills on time anymore. So I am here to remind everyone that Congress has been able to accomplish its regular budget and appropriations process before in recent history.

A couple examples: It happened under President Clinton with a Republican Congress in 1996. It happened under President Reagan with a Democratic Congress in 1988. These are just two examples, but the fact remains that these deadlines have been met before, and now is the time to start meeting those deadlines again.

I have always said Washington, DC, is a pain-free zone that faces no consequences--zero consequences--if Members fail to do their jobs. I think it is time we start requiring accountability for Members of Congress in order to get things done.

I know many of my colleagues have heard me talk about my legislation, No Budget, No Pay. It is pretty simple: If Members of Congress do not pass an annual bipartisan budget resolution and all 12 spending bills on time each year, then they simply should not be paid.

I wish to repeat that last part: If Congress fails to pass all 12 spending bills on time each year, they should not get paid.

We have honest, hardworking Americans in the gallery and across this country who play by the rules. That rule says: If people do their job, they get paid. Why shouldn't it be the same for us as Members of Congress? We need to be honest.

We also need to recognize that both Democrats and Republicans are at fault. Governing from crisis to crisis while our long-term debt continues to grow is now the new normal in Washington. We need bipartisan solutions, but nothing will happen if Members of Congress don't start feeling some pain.

Instead of playing another game of brinkmanship, let's start working now on a plan that will place our Nation on sound fiscal footing or cultivate a progrowth economy that will produce jobs in the long term.

I have filed No Budget, No Pay as an amendment to this appropriations minibus to highlight that we have to end this cycle of inaction and indecision. Let's show the American people their elected officials are ready to lead and make the tough decisions these times deserve.

While I am not a betting man, I am from Nevada so I would bet that once again we will fail on passing any appropriations bills into law before October 1, and we will once again punt our responsibilities by doing another CR or omnibus.

I ask my colleagues--if you are sick and tired of this broken budget and appropriations process as much as I am, support No Budget, No Pay, and let's fix this problem once and for all.

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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