(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) reintroduced “No Budget, No Pay,” bipartisan legislation that requires Members of Congress to pass a budget in order to receive pay. 

"Look no further than the fact that the Senate has not passed a budget in 1,365 days for proof that Washington is broken. Year after year, Congress has refused to perform its basic responsibilities, while at the same time Nevadans are stretching every dollar just to make ends meet,” said Senator Dean Heller.

The legislation has received support from both sides of the aisle. In the Senate, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) is the lead Democratic cosponsor. Democratic Representative Jim Cooper (TN-5) has sponsored similar legislation in the House of Representatives. He is joined by Representatives Reid Ribble (R-WI-08), Ami Bera (D-CA-07) and Ron DeSantis (R-FL-06) as lead sponsors.

“The message is simple: if Members of Congress don’t do their job, then they should not get paid. Budget Committee Chairwoman Senator Murray announced just today that the Committee will attempt to pass a budget, which shows this legislation is forcing them to act. I will continue to fight for this bill until it becomes law. It’s the right thing to do,” Senator Heller continued.

Specifically, Heller’s bill requires the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to pass a budget and all appropriations bills by the beginning of each fiscal year. Failure to pass these bills would result in the loss of pay until Congress passes these measures in both chambers.

Heller’s legislation, originally introduced in July 2011, is gaining momentum. Most recently, House leadership announced that they will include the legislation as part of their debt ceiling package. The vote is expected to occur as early as today.

Senator Heller joined lead Democratic cosponsor Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and the bill’s cosponsors John Cornyn (R-TX), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), and Mike Enzi (R-WY) at a press conference in the Capitol today to introduce the legislation.

Additional cosponsors include Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Richard Burr (R-NC), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Bob Corker (R-TN), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and David Vitter (R-LA).

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