Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) on Thursday fought for the immediate passage of his No Budget, No Pay Act on the Senate floor, a measure that would prevent members of Congress from receiving their salaries during a government shutdown caused by a failure to fund the federal government.
However, Senate Democrats swiftly blocked the bill’s passage, maintaining the status quo during the prolonged shutdown.
Scott rose to speak as the “Democrat Shutdown” continued, which he claims is depriving federal employees and military personnel of their paychecks. He argued that it is fundamentally “wrong” for Congress to continue getting paid while millions of federal workers and troops go without.
“I rise today with my bipartisan and common sense No Budget, No Pay Act – a simple proposal that says if members of Congress can’t complete one of our basic jobs of funding the government, we don’t get paid,” Senator Scott stated.
The bill, which Senator Scott has championed since entering the Senate in 2019, aims to hold Congress accountable for one of its most fundamental duties: passing a budget and the required 12 appropriations bills on time.
“The last time Congress passed all 12 appropriations bills on time was nearly three decades ago. Congress has failed, time and time again, to do one of its basic duties,” Scott noted in his remarks.
Scott asserted that Democrats have “thrived in the dysfunction,” allowing for massive spending and contributing to the nation’s $38 trillion debt. He accused Democrats of using the current dysfunction to shut down the government, prioritizing a “liberal wish list” over the needs of the American people.
Clash Over Paychecks
The core of Scott’s argument centered on the ethical disparity of paychecks during a shutdown:
- Members of Congress continue to receive their salaries.
- Federal employees, including military members, TSA, FAA, and law enforcement, are deprived of their paychecks.
- Furthermore, Scott claimed the shutdown jeopardizes essential benefits like SNAP for 40 million Americans.
“This is the problem with Washington – any working American will tell you that if you don’t do your job, you don’t get paid,” Scott challenged. “But in Washington? Members of Congress consistently fail one of our basic duties… and still get a paycheck, even when others don’t.”
Senator Scott highlighted that Senate Democrats have reportedly voted against funding the government 14 times in the last five weeks, contributing to what he called “the longest shutdown in our nation’s history.”
Despite his appeal to colleagues to support the bill—asking them to “put their paycheck on the line too”—Senate Democrats successfully blocked the measure, leaving the “No Budget, No Pay Act” on hold and Congressional paychecks secure as the government shutdown persists.
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