Legislation would halt pay for Congress if debt ceiling is reached
Washington, DC --- U.S. Representative Heath Shuler joined 15 Democratic colleagues to introduce the “Stop Pay for Members Act,” H.R. 2653, to suspend congressional pay if the debt ceiling is reached and the United States defaults on its national debt. This legislation would prohibit Members of Congress from receiving a paycheck during a default and prohibit any pay to be issued retroactively.
“Congress has an obligation to protect the full faith and credit of our nation. We must ensure that America pays the debts it has incurred. If we do not, we have failed as a Congress, and we should not be paid for such a catastrophic failure,” Rep. Shuler said. “In the event of a national default, no Member of Congress should receive a paycheck while veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities are worried about their benefits and consumers are faced with higher interest rates on mortgages, car payments, credit cards and student loans.”
The U.S. Treasury Department has stated the United States will default on paying its national debt if the debt ceiling is not raised by August 2. During a default, the Treasury Department would have to prioritize which of the approximately $80 million in payments need to be made with the limited revenue available. The “Stop Pay for Members Act” would ensure that Members of Congress are not on the priority list.
“I have repeatedly called on Congressional leaders in both parties to put aside partisanship and come together to reach a long-term bipartisan plan to reduce spending and balance our nation’s budget, but with less than a week to go before default no agreement has been reached,” said Rep. Shuler. “As I’ve said in the past, the American people elected Congress to do the job of governing our nation. Defaulting on the national debt would mean we’re not doing our job, and if we’re not doing our job, we shouldn’t be getting paid.”
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