II 

Calendar No. 334 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3158 

To require Congress to lead by example and freeze its own pay and fully 

offset the cost of the extension of unemployment benefits and other 

Federal aid. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 23, 2010 

Mr. COBURN introduced the following bill; which was read the first time 

MARCH 24, 2010 

Read the second time and placed on the calendar 

A BILL 

To require Congress to lead by example and freeze its own 

pay and fully offset the cost of the extension of unemployment benefits and other Federal aid. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. NO INCREASE IN PAY OF MEMBERS OF CON4 GRESS. 

5 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 

6 ‘‘The No Pay Raise for Congress Until the Budget is Bal7 anced Act’’. 


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1 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find2 ings: 

3 (1) Article I, section 9, of the United States 

4 Constitution makes Congress responsible for all 

5 money drawn from the United States Treasury. 

6 (2) The United States national debt now ex7 ceeds $12,600,000,000,000. 

8 (3) The Federal budget deficit is projected to 

9 amount to $1,300,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 

10 and the annual deficits will average nearly 

11 $1,000,000,000,000 for the next decade, according 

12 to the Congressional Budget Office. 

13 (4) Each American’s share of the United States 

14 national debt amounts to more than $41,000. 

15 (5) The United States national debt increases 

16 more than $4,000,000,000 each day. 

17 (6) Foreign investors held 48 percent of the 

18 United States’ outstanding public debt at the end of 

19 2009, including $776,400,000,000 the United States 

20 owes to Communist China. 

21 (7) For the first time ever, the Federal budget 

22 deficit has been singled out as the most important 

23 issue facing the future of the country, according to 

24 a Gallup poll conducted between March 4 and March 

25 7, 2010. 


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1 (8) In the last six months, Congress has passed 

2 4 major extension bills, costing taxpayers nearly 

3 $30,000,000,000. 

4 (9) Eighty-three percent of Americans say the 

5 size of the Federal budget deficit is due to the un6 willingness of politicians to cut Government spend7 ing and just 11 percent think the Government 

8 spends taxpayers’ money wisely, according to a na9 tional survey conducted between February 2 and 

10 February 3, 2010, by Rasmussen Reports. 

11 (10) More than twice as many United States 

12 adults (58 percent) say that debt owed to China is 

13 a more serious threat to the long-term security and 

14 well-being of the United States than is terrorism 

15 from radical Islamic terrorists (27 percent), accord16 ing to a Zogby Interactive survey conducted between 

17 February 17 and February 19, 2010. 

18 (11) For the reasons specified in paragraphs 

19 (1) through (10)— 

20 (A) Congress should make balancing the 

21 Federal budget an urgent priority to protect the 

22 national security, financial stability, and stand23 ard of living of the United States; 

24 (B) because Congress has long refused to 

25 make the tough decisions necessary to cut 


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1 wasteful spending, reducing the national debt 

2 limit is the only sure way to force Congress to 

3 live within its means; 

4 (C) the pay for members of Congress, who 

5 are constitutionally responsible for the money 

6 drawn from the United States Treasury and the 

7 debt that results from excessive spending, 

8 should not be increased until Congress has bal9 anced the Federal budget; and 

10 (D) Congress should no longer approve ir11 responsible legislation that adds to the deficit 

12 and burdens future generations with more debt. 

13 (c) RESTRICTIONS ON PAY OF MEMBERS OF CON14 GRESS.— 

15 (1) RESTRICTION ON COLA ADJUSTMENTS.— 

16 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no ad17 justment shall be made under section 601(a) of the 

18 Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 

19 31) (relating to cost of living adjustments for Mem20 bers of Congress) during fiscal year 2011 or any 

21 succeeding fiscal year, until the fiscal year following 

22 the first fiscal year that the annual Federal budget 

23 deficit is $0 as determined in the report submitted 

24 under paragraph (2). 

25 (2) DETERMINATIONS AND REPORTS.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days 

2 after the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary 

3 of the Treasury shall— 

4 (i) make a determination of whether 

5 or not the annual Federal budget deficit 

6 was $0 for that fiscal year; and 

7 (ii) if the determination is that the 

8 annual Federal budget deficit was $0 for 

9 that fiscal year, submit a report to Con10 gress of that determination. 

11 (B) RESTRICTION OF COLA ADJUST12 MENTS.—Not later than the end of each cal13 endar year, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 

14 submit a report to the Secretary of the Senate 

15 and the Chief Administrative Officer of the 

16 House of Representatives on— 

17 (i) any determination made under 

18 subparagraph (A); and 

19 (ii) whether or not the restriction 

20 under paragraph (1) shall apply to the suc21 ceeding fiscal year. 

22 SEC. 2. REPEAL OF INCREASE OF THE OFFICE BUDGETS OF 

23 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. 

24 Of the funds made available under Public Law 111– 

25 68 for the legislative branch (except for any account under 


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1 the heading ‘‘CAPITOL POLICE’’), $100,000,000 in un2 obligated balances are rescinded: Provided, That none of 

3 the funding available for the legislative branch be available 

4 for any pilot program for mailings of postal patron post5 cards by Senators for the purpose of providing notice of 

6 a town meeting by a Senator in a county (or equivalent 

7 unit of local government) at which the Senator will person8 ally attend. 

9 SEC. 3. RESCISSION OF UNSPENT AND UNCOMMITTED FED10 ERAL FUNDS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi12 sion of law, of all available unobligated Federal funds, 

13 $9,200,000,000 in discretionary, unexpired funds are re14 scinded. 

15 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 60 days after 

16 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Of17 fice of Management and Budget shall— 

18 (1) identify the accounts and amounts rescinded 

19 to implement subsection (a); and 

20 (2) submit a report to the Secretary of the 

21 Treasury and Congress of the accounts and amounts 

22 identified under paragraph (1) for rescission. 


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Calendar No. 334 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3158 

A BILL 

To require Congress to lead by example and freeze 

aid. sion of unemployment benefits and other Federal its own pay and fully offset the cost of the extenMARCH 24, 2010 

Read the second time and placed on the calendar 


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