Lankford: ‘No Budget, No Pay’ Provides Us with a Plan

Washington, D.C. — House Republican Policy Committee Chairman James Lankford (R-OK) applauded the passage of H.R. 325, the “No Budget, No Pay” bill, in a vote of 285-144 on January 23, 2013 

“The No Budget, No Pay bill is a simple solution to a systemic problem in Washington: almost four years without a budget,” said Chairman Lankford. “If House or Senate Members fail to do their basic responsibility, their pay will be withheld until their work is done.

“We cannot continue to dig our nation further into debt without any federal budget planning, as mandated by law.  Our nation’s $16.4 trillion in debt is exacerbated by trillion-dollar deficits each year for the last five years. The House proposes a ten-year plan to solvency. The President’s budget proposes infinite debt limit increases, but the Senate has no budget plan at all.

“This time-limited, rather than dollar-limited suspension of the debt ceiling for 90 days is the result of an opaque Treasury whose fiscal outlook is difficult to assess in dollars,” continued Lankford. “We must utilize this opportunity to encourage the Members of the Senate to finally pass a budget, so we can begin the bicameral work of passing a national budget.

“Fiscal solvency requires a long-term plan, but there is no quick fix.  This is an important first step in achieving order in our fiscal house,” concluded Lankford.

For a video response from Chairman Lankford on H.R. 325, please click here.

Contact: Kelly Ferguson, 202-225-2132