U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, today called on Congress to do its job and get Washington's fiscal house in order - or face the consequences. She joined several colleagues at a Capitol Hill press conference this morning to reintroduce the "No Budget, No Pay Act" - bipartisan legislation that would dock pay for Members of Congress for failure to pass a budget resolution and regular appropriations bills on time. Senator Ayotte also introduced a separate bill this week to prohibit a salary increase for Members of Congress in any year in which there is a federal budget deficit.
"The American people expect Congress to deal with our fiscal crisis, and the "No Budget, No Pay Act' will help ensure that members of the Senate and House do their jobs," said Senator Ayotte. "Congress also shouldn't get a pay raise while the country is in debt, and that's why I also introduced legislation that prohibits senators and congressmen from receiving a bump in salary until we rein in reckless spending. This bill also extends the current pay freeze on senior federal executive branch officials."
The "No Budget, No Pay Act" would prohibit U.S. Treasury funds from paying the salaries of Members of Congress during any period of time after October 1 of any year that the budget and appropriations processes are not completed. The bill also bars retroactive pay for any period of time determined to be in violation of the bill.
While the recent fiscal cliff agreement extended the current pay freeze for Members of Congress through 2013, Senator Ayotte's "Congressional Pay Freeze Act" (S. 30) takes the moratorium a step further by prohibiting pay increases for Congress during any fiscal year in which there is a federal budget deficit, and extending the current pay freeze on senior federal executive branch officials. Ayotte has long opposed salary increases for Members of Congress while the country is running deficits.