# No Budget, No Pay Act

This bill ties members of Congress's paychecks directly to whether they pass a budget. Here's how it works: if Congress fails to pass a budget resolution by October 1st of any year, members of the House and Senate stop receiving their salaries. The withholding continues until Congress actually passes a budget. Once a budget is approved, members get paid retroactively for the time they missed paychecks.

The idea behind this legislation is to create financial pressure on Congress to do its job. Supporters argue that if lawmakers' own wallets are affected, they'll be more motivated to reach agreement on a budget rather than letting the deadline pass. It's essentially saying that Congress shouldn't get paid if it can't accomplish this fundamental responsibility. The bill applies equally to all members—senators and representatives from both parties—so there's no way for any individual lawmaker to avoid the consequence.

In practice, this means that during budget negotiations, members would have a personal financial incentive to compromise and get a deal done before the October 1st deadline. However, critics worry that this could backfire by making negotiations more chaotic or by pressuring lawmakers to pass a hastily-written budget just to get paid, rather than taking time to carefully consider spending priorities. The bill essentially gambles that financial self-interest will motivate Congress to be more responsible with the nation's finances.

No Budget, No Pay Act

Braun, Mike

No Budget, No Pay Act This bill prohibits Members of Congress from being paid in a fiscal year until both chambers approve the budget resolution and pass all regular appropriations bills for that fiscal year. Retroactive pay is prohibited for such a period.