Deal wants to cut Congressional salaries to force a balanced budget

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Nathan Deal of Gainesville has introduced legislation to force members of Congress to "get serious" about balancing America's budget.

The "Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2004", H.R. 3736, would cut Congressional salaries every year that a balanced budget was not passed and implemented.

"It's time for all my colleagues in Washington that claim to support a balanced budget to put their votes where their mouths are and guarantee those votes with their pay checks," Deal said.

The proposed legislation will create an automatic five-percent reduction in the annual pay for every Member of Congress that is triggered when the budget is not balanced in that same fiscal year. If the deficit spending continues, the pay cut will be increased to ten percent for every consecutive fiscal year. The annual pay cuts will be capped at a maximum of ten percent, and the reductions will be implemented every year the budget is not balanced. Furthermore, a member would not receive any cost of living allowance (COLA) unless a balanced budget is passed and implemented.

For example, if the total expenditures for Fiscal Year 2005 exceed the total revenue for that year, every Member's annual pay will be cut by five percent, or approximately $7,500. If this overspending is repeated in Fiscal Year 2006 and any consecutive year, Members will receive a ten-percent reduction in pay, or approximately $15,000, for that year. Each five-percent reduction will be removed by a fiscal year in which the budget is balanced.

The legislation will include a waiver of these provisions if a declaration of war is in effect or if the occurrence of an unanticipated situation requires new budget authority and spending for the prevention or mitigation of, or response to, loss of life or property, or a threat to national security.