No Budget, No Pay Act
The No Budget, No Pay Act would withhold the pay of Members of Congress if, by October 1 of a given fiscal year, Congress has not passed a concurrent resolution on the budget and has not enacted all regular appropriations bills for the next fiscal year. Under the bill, pay would be suspended for each day after October 1 until both Houses pass the budget resolution and all regular appropriations bills. The mechanism relies on the chairpersons of the Budget and Appropriations committees in both chambers to determine and certify the days of non-payment. The bill also prohibits retroactive pay and directs that no funds from the U.S. Treasury may be used to pay Members during the specified period. The measure would take effect February 1, 2027. In short, the bill ties Members’ pay to the timely passage of the budget and spending bills, using an official certification process to withhold pay if deadlines are missed.
Key Points
- 1Pay withholding trigger: If by October 1 a concurrent budget resolution and all regular appropriations bills for the next year have not been approved, Members’ pay is suspended for days after October 1 until both are completed.
- 2Who is affected: “Member of Congress” (as defined by the standard congressional definition in 5 U.S.C. 2106), excluding the Vice President.
- 3Enforcement mechanism: The Chairpersons of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees (or their House counterparts) determine and certify the number of days pay may be withheld; this determination is binding for pay purposes.
- 4No retroactive pay: If pay is withheld, it cannot be paid retroactively once the period ends.
- 5Effective date: The bill would take effect on February 1, 2027.
- 6Budget statutory reference: The requirement relies on the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632) for the definition of the budget resolution trigger.