Central Montana Times

U.S. Senator Steve Daines has reintroduced the "Balanced Budget Accountability Act," which proposes that members of Congress should not receive pay if they fail to balance the federal budget. This legislation aims to address the growing national debt crisis and is consistently the first bill Daines introduces at each new Congress.

Daines expressed concern about economic conditions under President Biden's administration, stating, "Under Biden’s administration the national debt soared and inflation hammered Montana families. As we enter a new Congress with a Republican majority in the Senate and get our economy back on track, it’s past time we bring fiscal sanity back to Washington. If Congress can’t do its job and pass a balanced budget, members shouldn’t get paid."

The bill seeks to enforce accountability by ensuring that Congress commits to the annual budget process as required by law. It mandates that budgets must be balanced within ten years. If Congress does not pass a balanced budget by April 15, members will lose their pay.

Senator Daines has introduced this bill at the start of every new Congress since 2013 when the national debt was $16.7 trillion. It now exceeds $36 trillion.