US Senate Tells Members No Budget, No Salary
January 24, 2013 2:39 PM 
Some Congressional leaders are telling their fellow members that if a budget cannot be passed then they should not be paid.
The United States House of Representatives passed a short-term extension of the federal debt limit. The Senate now has to vote on the measure. The Republican bill temporarily extends the government’s ability to borrow until the spring with conditions, including a stipulation that states that members of Congress will not receive paychecks unless the Senate approves a budget.
Nevada Republican Senator Dean Heller says the Senate has not passed a budget in more than thirteen hundred days and accuses his fellow members of failing to perform “basic responsibilities.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that the “No Budget, No Pay” bill is a “gimmick” designed to get the debt bill passed.
House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, defends the bill, saying it is just what Washington needs.
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House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer agrees with Reid and says the bill is just a gimmick.
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More debate is expected in the coming days.
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