U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, M.D., (R-Ga) announced today that he will vote against the Republican-written and promoted “No Budget, No Pay” legislation that calls for withholding lawmakers’ pay if they don't pass a budget by October 1 of every year.
This year, H.R. 325 would suspend the debt limit until May 18 in exchange for a budget plan from U.S. Senate, to be passed by April 15. This would be the first budget plan to pass the upper chamber since 2009.
Broun, who represents Georgia’s 10th congressional district, said in his statement that allowing the Federal Government to spend and borrow unlimited amounts for the next three months would be “akin to playing with fire.”
“We’ve seen time and time again that once the federal government opens the door to increased spending, it doesn’t have a great track record of going back later to close it,” said Broun in today’s press release. “(…) Without a debt ceiling to serve as a reality-check, I worry that the Treasury will run up our tab so high that a limit will never be put back into place.”
However, Broun said he does agree with attaching lawmakers’ paychecks to a responsibility of passing a budget every year.
“I support the idea of putting Member paychecks on the line in exchange for a budget, because if we’re not doing our jobs, we shouldn’t be getting paid,” he said.
That, nonetheless, is the only good part about the legislation, Broun added, and giving the Treasury a “free pass” on spending would be irresponsible.
Click here to read the full press release on Rep. Broun’s website.
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