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But Republicans want something in return, namely, passage of a budget by both houses of Congress by April 15. If either the House or Senate failed to pass one, paychecks for that chamber's members would be withheld. The lawmakers would only get the lost pay at end of 2014.
The House passed its "no budget, no pay" act this afternoon. The Senate is expected to do so soon.
To the surprise of some, Congress is not normally required to pass a budget, and the Senate has not passed one since 2009. Invoices still get paid and government programs still get funded. While a budget can serve as a guideline and set priorities for spending, Congress uses a different set of processes to determine how much money can and will actually be spent.
The GOP says that's reckless, like making up moral rules without any broader code. It also allows lawmakers to escape blame if more money is spent (and borrowed) than budgeted. Thus, the budget-or-no-pay proposal, which the House passed with a 285-144 votes.
But why stop there?
Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat who said "I'm fine with that" about the budget/pay proposal, today offered a few other ideas that could be linked to pay.
During a conference call with reporters, he proposed that Congress also forgo pay if it cannot pass a farm bill, for instance. The Senate passed a farm bill last year that included Brown's proposals for overhauling a crop-subsidy system that he says wastes billions. The Senate bill also included a five-year authorization for food stamps. The House, however, did not pass a farm bill, so agriculture policies continue under prior law -- wasting a fortune, Brown says.
"I'd like to say that members over there shouldn't get paid until they actually move on our China currency bill, which would create potentially hundreds of thousands of jobs by leveling the playing field with China, at no cost to taxpayers," he said.
"I think," he added, "both chambers should schedule a vote on my bill to cap the age at which members of Congress can collect their own pensions to the age when working Americans can. If people here think they want to raise the Social Security eligibility age to 70, nobody here should be able to begin to get a pension until they are 70. I would like to link those for congressional action."
He continued, "Why just the budget? Why not link members' pay to passing the farm bill, which will save us $20 billion? Why not link members' pay to a real jobs bill that will actually create jobs. I understand the politics of it -- 'boy, it sounds really good, don't pay these guys until they pass a budget.' But how about not paying these guys and women until they actually pass legislation that really does help us create jobs the way we did in the 1990s?"
His proposal is unlikely to ever be put to a vote.
Democratic leaders agree that the whole no-budget, no-pay bill seems like a gimmick. Still, 86 House Democrats joined the Republican majority in approving it, to 111 Democrats who voted no. All Ohio Democrats in the House voted no.
Among Republicans, 33 in all voted against the measure, including Mike Turner of Dayton, the only Ohioan Republican in the minority in this matter.
Some Republicans said the measure should have been paired with specific spending cuts. Others praised the principle behind the vote.
"It’s a simple concept and one just about every working American can relate to," Rep. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth said in a statement. "This is by no means a cure-all for our broken national finances. But it is a solid step toward bringing fiscal responsibility back to our nation’s capital.”
