Congress Shouldn’t Get Paid Until It Does Its Job. Why This Bill Is a Great Step.

From The Daily Signal.com (Nov. 18):

Congress is likely to vote next week on its second continuing resolution of fiscal year 2020. Another continuing resolution will prevent a government shutdown, but there’s not much to celebrate.

The fact that a month-and-a-half into the new fiscal year none of the 12 annual appropriations bills have been enacted is a sign of how dysfunctional the congressional budget process is.

Thankfully, more members of Congress are taking notice of the breakdown in the budget process and are putting forth reforms to not only create a more efficient budget process, but one that is also more transparent and responsible.

Republican Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona and Ralph Norman of South Carolina on Nov. 14 introduced the Budget Process Enhancement Act. The bill would make two major changes to improve the current budget process.

First, it would remove the assumption that federal programs grow at the rate of inflation from the Congressional Budget Office’s baseline.

Next, it would institute a “no budget, no pay” policy: If Congress doesn’t adopt a budget resolution by April 15 of each fiscal year, lawmakers would receive no pay until it does.

The Budget Process Enhancement Act is a positive first step toward removing the bias in favor of higher spending from the baseline and eliminating an accounting gimmick used to skew the impact of budget decisions.

Including a “no budget, no pay” provision should encourage members of Congress to debate budget and appropriations bills in a timely manner.

Congress should continue to pursue reforms that will create a better functioning and more responsible budget process. [read more]

Hopefully the republicans will get the majority in Congress so they can pass this bill. The President will then probably sign it into law.