Senator John Boozman with an update from Washington:
I was proud to join my colleagues in the Senate as a cosponsor of the No Budget, No Pay legislation. This forces Members of Congress
to pass a budget for the entire fiscal year and all appropriations bills or be punished by not receiving a paycheck. This piece of legislation is not just a good thing for our nation’s fiscal health; it’s simply the right thing to do.
This legislation makes sense. It’s been nearly four years since a binding federal budget resolution has been passed in the Senate.
By law, the Senate is required to adopt a budget resolution, but there is no penalty for failing to do so. This hurts the American people and our fiscal future. American families don’t operate like this and neither should the federal government.
Since 2007, Congress has passed numerous spending bills and continuing resolutions which punts the difficult spending and budget decisions to a later date. Not one of the 12 appropriations bills for the current fiscal year has been signed into law.
The No Budget, No Pay legislation holds Members of Congress accountable for passing a budget in a responsible manner, and not just resorting to a business as usual approach to addressing our nation’s budgetary issues.
Arkansans have the right to know how their money is being spent. Passing a budget is the accountability they deserve. This is an honest approach at restoring confidence in Congress.
