Sponsors (14)
The bill increases pressure and creates enforceable consequences to get Congress to pass timely budgets—reducing shutdown risk and improving funding predictability—but at the cost of tighter deadlines that can produce rushed or partisan behavior, potential enforcement politicization, and financial/administrative side effects for Members and staff.
Taxpayers, federal employees, beneficiaries, state and local governments, and contractors: the bill requires Congress to pass a concurrent budget and all regular appropriations by October 1 each year, which reduces the risk of government shutdowns, prevents pay interruptions for federal workers, and gives state/local governments and contractors clearer, more predictable funding outlooks.
Taxpayers and Members of Congress: the bill creates a predictable, enforceable accountability mechanism — annual certification by administrative officers and leadership plus withholding of Member pay during noncompliance — which makes it clearer when deadlines are missed and raises costs for failing to meet them.
Federal employees and congressional staff: the bill clarifies statutory terms (defines 'Budget and Appropriations Chairs' and specifies that 'Member of Congress' excludes the Vice President), reducing ambiguity in implementation of procedural and pay-suspension rules.
State and local governments, service beneficiaries, and middle-class families: if the October 1 deadline is missed, the bill creates the potential for abrupt funding gaps or automatic/procedural consequences that could disrupt programs and services.
Taxpayers and the public: relying on Chairs and annual certifications to trigger pay withholding risks politicized, inconsistent, or partisan enforcement that could be used as leverage rather than resolving budget impasses.
Taxpayers and program beneficiaries: imposing a hard annual deadline may increase pressure to rush complex budget and spending decisions, raising the risk of errors, poorly vetted allocations, and intensified partisan standoffs near the deadline.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Conditions Members’ pay on both Houses approving a budget concurrent resolution and all regular appropriations by Oct 1 each fiscal year and suspends pay during noncompliance.
Requires both the House and Senate to pass a budget concurrent resolution and all regular appropriations by October 1 of each fiscal year and suspends pay for Members of Congress for any period when those requirements are not met. The two chambers’ budget and appropriations chairs must determine and certify noncompliance to the House Chief Administrative Officer and the Secretary of the Senate, and no retroactive pay is allowed for suspended periods. The law takes effect September 29, 2027.
Introduced January 14, 2025 by Richard Lynn Scott · Last progress January 14, 2025