II 

Calendar No. 322 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3143 

To provide that Members of Congress shall not receive a pay increase until 

the annual Federal budget deficit is eliminated. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 18, 2010 

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

MARCH 19, 2010 

Read the second time and placed on the calendar 

A BILL 

To provide that Members of Congress shall not receive a 

pay increase until the annual Federal budget deficit is 

eliminated. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘The No Pay Raise 

5 for Congress Until the Budget is Balanced Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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

2 Constitution makes Congress responsible for all 

3 money drawn from the United States Treasury. 

4 (2) The United States national debt now ex5 ceeds $12,600,000,000,000. 

6 (3) The Federal budget deficit is projected to 

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

8 and the annual deficits will average nearly 

9 $1,000,000,000,000 for the next decade, according 

10 to the Congressional Budget Office. 

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

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

13 (5) The United States national debt increases 

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

15 (6) Foreign investors held 48 percent of the 

16 United States’ outstanding public debt at the end of 

17 2009, including $776,400,000,000 the United States 

18 owes to Communist China. 

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

20 deficit has been singled out as the most important 

21 issue facing the future of the country, according to 

22 a Gallup poll conducted between March 4 and March 

23 7, 2010. 

24 (8) Eighty-three percent of Americans say the 

25 size of the Federal budget deficit is due to the unVerDate Nov 24 2008 21:24 Mar 19, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3143.PCS S3143

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1 willingness of politicians to cut Government spend2 ing and just 11 percent think the Government 

3 spends taxpayers’ money wisely, according to a na4 tional survey conducted between February 2 and 

5 February 3, 2010, by Rasmussen Reports. 

6 (9) More than twice as many United States 

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

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

9 well-being of the United States than is terrorism 

10 from radical Islamic terrorists (27 percent), accord11 ing to a Zogby Interactive survey conducted between 

12 February 17 and February 19, 2010. 

13 (10) For the reasons specified in paragraphs 

14 (1) through (9)— 

15 (A) Congress should make balancing the 

16 Federal budget an urgent priority to protect the 

17 national security, financial stability, and stand18 ard of living of the United States; 

19 (B) because Congress has long refused to 

20 make the tough decisions necessary to cut 

21 wasteful spending, reducing the national debt 

22 limit is the only sure way to force Congress to 

23 live within its means; and 

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

25 are constitutionally responsible for the money 


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1 drawn from the United States Treasury and the 

2 debt that results from excessive spending, 

3 should not be increased until Congress has bal4 anced the Federal budget. 

5 SEC. 3. RESTRICTIONS ON PAY OF MEMBERS OF CON6 GRESS. 

7 (a) RESTRICTION ON COLA ADJUSTMENTS.—Not8 withstanding any other provision of law, no adjustment 

9 shall be made under section 601(a) of the Legislative Re10 organization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 31) (relating to cost 

11 of living adjustments for Members of Congress) during fis12 cal year 2011 or any succeeding fiscal year, until the fiscal 

13 year following the first fiscal year that the annual Federal 

14 budget deficit is $0 as determined in the report submitted 

15 under subsection (b). 

16 (b) DETERMINATIONS AND REPORTS.— 

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

18 the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary of the 

19 Treasury shall— 

20 (A) make a determination of whether or 

21 not the annual Federal budget deficit was $0 

22 for that fiscal year; and 

23 (B) if the determination is that the annual 

24 Federal budget deficit was $0 for that fiscal 


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1 year, submit a report to Congress of that deter2 mination. 

3 (2) RESTRICTION OF COLA ADJUSTMENTS.— 

4 Not later than the end of each calendar year, the 

5 Secretary of the Treasury shall submit a report to 

6 the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Adminis7 trative Officer of the House of Representatives on— 

8 (A) any determination made under para9 graph (1); and 

10 (B) whether or not the restriction under 

11 subsection (a) shall apply to the succeeding fis12 cal year. 

13 SEC. 4. REDUCTION OF THE STATUTORY LIMIT ON THE 

14 PUBLIC DEBT. 

15 Notwithstanding section 3101(b) of title 31, United 

16 States Code, or any other provision of law, the dollar 

17 amount of the statutory limit on the public debt under 

18 section 3101(b) of that title for the applicable fiscal year 

19 shall be the following: 

20 (1) Fiscal year 2011, $13,900,000,000,000. 

21 (2) Fiscal year 2012, $13,700,000,000,000. 

22 (3) Fiscal year 2013, $13,500,000,000,000. 

23 (4) Fiscal year 2014, $12,300,000,000,000. 

24 (5) Fiscal year 2015 and each fiscal year there25 after, $12,100,000,000,000. 


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Calendar No. 322 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3143 

A BILL 

To provide that Members of Congress shall not rebudget deficit is eliminated. ceive a pay increase until the annual Federal 

MARCH 19, 2010 

Read the second time and placed on the calendar 


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