A bill 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.

Withholding Congress pay for late budgets

If enacted, the bill would stop pay for Members of Congress when Congress has not approved a budget resolution and passed all regular appropriations by October 1. On October 1 each year the House Chief Administrative Officer and the Secretary of the Senate would ask budget and appropriations leaders to certify compliance. The House and Senate Budget and Appropriations Chairs would decide whether Members may be paid and how many days pay must be withheld. No Treasury funds could pay Members for a noncompliant period, and withheld pay could not be paid later. The bill would take effect on September 29, 2027 and defines who counts as a Member and who can certify.