Dems Unveil Bill To Block Congressional Pay If Debt Ceiling Isn’t Raised [View all]

[kpete]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Dems Unveil Bill To Block Congressional Pay If Debt Ceiling Isn’t Raised

SAHIL KAPUR 10:34 AM EDT, WEDNESDAY JUNE 12, 2013


Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) introduced legislation Wednesday to withhold pay for members of Congress if the government fails to raise the debt ceiling in time.

Modeled on the GOP's "no budget, no pay" legislation, the funds would be placed into an escrow account and paid to members in full once the debt limit is increased.

Announcing their legislation in the Capitol, Boxer and McDermott took turns excoriating Republicans for threatening not to raise the debt ceiling unless Democrats offer ideological concessions such as spending cuts in return.

"Republicans seem to want to hurt America first, by leaving our people unpaid and going ahead and paying China first," Boxer said, referring to GOP legislation to prioritize payments to creditors and Social Security recipients first if the debt limit is broached. "What country to these guys represent anyway?"

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