Sen. Rick Scott isn’t wasting time taking aim at his own colleagues, co-sponsoring a bill that would force lawmakers to forego their paychecks during a government shutdown.
Scott, a Florida Republican, and 11 other U.S. senators proposed the No Budget, No Pay Act. The legislation is an attempt by lawmakers to provide more incentive to agree on a new budget and avoid shutdowns, such as the current one, which is the longest over.
“If other people aren’t getting paid — Coast Guard is not getting paid or other federal workers are not getting paid, we’re impacting our economy — why would congress-men and women and senators get paid?” Scott asked during a news conference. “I think it’s very important that we are subject to the same rules as everybody else and if you can’t pass the budget, you shouldn’t get paid.”
There is a partner bill proposed in the House; both have bi-partisan support.
FOX 13 Political Editor Craig Patrick, however, said it’s unlikely a bill like this would pass for several reasons.
The proposal does not appear to address what would happen if lawmakers were to pass a continuing resolution to extend the current budget, as is often the case, rather than pass a new one. – READ MORE