Sponsors (10)
The bill forces timely federal budgeting by creating incentives and certification processes (reducing shutdown risk and funding uncertainty) but trades that for the risk of politicized pay penalties, rushed budgeting or short-term fixes, administrative and legal disputes, and delayed implementation until 2027.
Federal employees, state/local governments, contractors, and taxpayers: Congress would be required to enact budget and appropriations on time (before the fiscal year), reducing the risk of government shutdowns and interruptions to federally funded services and contracts.
Members of Congress and taxpayers: Establishing a concrete penalty (withholding Members' pay) plus annual certification creates stronger incentives and clearer accountability for meeting budget timelines, which could reduce the frequency of continuing resolutions and funding uncertainty.
Federal agencies and congressional staff: The bill clarifies which congressional leaders are authorized interlocutors (Budget and Appropriations Committee chairs), reducing ambiguity and speeding coordination between agencies and congressional budget leaders.
Members of Congress, federal employees, and taxpayers: Withholding Members' pay as a penalty could cause real financial hardship for some Members, politicize budget negotiations, escalate brinkmanship, and increase the chance of procedural conflicts that destabilize the appropriations process.
Taxpayers, federal employees, and state/local governments: A strict statutory deadline to pass budgets could force rushed or incomplete budgeting and encourage short-term continuing resolutions or emergency measures rather than resolving underlying disagreements.
Taxpayers, Members, and congressional staff: Reliance on determinations and certifications by Budget/Appropriations Chairs invites administrative disputes and legal challenges over compliance, which could delay resolution and increase uncertainty about pay and funding status.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Requires Congress to pass a budget resolution and all regular appropriations by Oct 1 each year or Members' pay may be withheld; effective Sept 29, 2027.
Official title: To provide that Members of Congress may not receive pay after October 1 of any fiscal year in which Congress has not approved a concurrent resolution on the budget and passed the regular appropriations bills.
Introduced October 10, 2025 by Tim Moore · Last progress October 10, 2025
Requires both the House and Senate to approve a budget resolution and pass all regular appropriations bills by October 1 each fiscal year, and authorizes withholding Members of Congress' pay for any period Congress fails to meet those deadlines. Creates annual chamber procedures for certifying compliance and for determining pay withholding, and takes effect September 29, 2027. Applies only to Members of Congress (excluding the Vice President) and ties Treasury funding for congressional pay to a certification process run by each chamber's Budget and Appropriations Chairs and administrative officers. Retroactive payment for withheld pay is prohibited.