No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013

Floor Speech

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Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 325, which is based on a very simple principle: if Congress does not pass a budget, Congress does not get paid.

We cannot start the process of controlling spending in this country without a budget. We also cannot ask hardworking taxpayers to manage their own budgets when their elected leaders fail to do so.

The House has done its work and passed a budget each of the past 2 years. The other body of this branch must do theirs if we're going to address our out-of-control spending. For nearly 4 years, the Senate has gotten away with not passing a budget, but they've found time to pass laws that increase spending. Failing to budget for our country for the past 4 years is a terrible way to run a government, and I support this bill which will pay for bills already obligated.

We have to stop the political gamesmanship that is occurring here in this town and work together to find commonsense solutions to cut spending and find savings in our budget. I look forward to passing this bill that will finally hold Congress accountable and begin putting America on a debt repayment plan and save future generations from paying for the mistakes of the past.

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Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

No budget, no pay. No budget, no responsibility. No stability, no confidence. No confidence, no ability to borrow, to attract investors.

H.R. 325 is a gimmick. It is a gimmick. And I've always been taught that if you have a debt, pay it. Delaying it drives up interest rates and is not the best approach to convincing investors and lenders that we have the ability to pay.

If you convince people that you don't have the ability to pay, it is more likely that they're not going to let you have what you want. That's what I've always been taught. They do not want gimmicks. They want solutions.

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