Independent voices from the TWT Communities
A group of Democratic and Republican House members say it's time to punish themselves if Congress keeps failing at its basic duty of passing an annual budget — and they want to hit where it hurts: their own paychecks.
Proposed bipartisan legislation that would stop Congress from getting paid if they fail to pass a budget on time is winning fans on and off Capitol Hill.
House Democrats are divided. Their leaders are working hard to stop the Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA), but not all members on the left are falling into line. The chances of this landmark constitutional amendment passing Friday depend on how many are willing to put their country's interests before that of their party.
But Rep. Jim Cooper, Tennessee Democrat, said he would vote against contempt because the GOP was "rushing to judgment."
He urged all sides to wait for a Justice Department inspector general's report, which has been in the works for more than a year.
