Nation's finances demand we pass a budget

By Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) - 01/25/13

I ran for this seat in Congress two years ago because I was concerned about the direction our country was heading. I was concerned that the root of our problems was in Washington, and I can now say without a doubt that I was right about that. Unfortunately, two years and an entire session of Congress later, my confidence in Washington hasn’t improved.

The bottom line is that the job that we were elected to do is not getting done. House Republicans have made every effort to offer bipartisan options and keep the lines of communication open between chambers; however, it is a moot point when our colleagues across the aisle refuse to meet us half way.

The House and Senate are each required to pass a budget each year, which serves as a plan for our nation’s future. It’s the law. It’s our job. For the past two years, the Republican-led House has passed a common sense, cost-cutting budget to get our spending under control.  Meanwhile, the Democratic-led Senate has refused to pass a budget for nearly four years. How many of you would be able to keep getting paid if you didn’t do your job for four straight years?

So, it goes without saying that I was absolutely behind the ‘No Budget, No Pay’ Act when it came to the House floor. The legislation ensures that Members of Congress won’t receive their paychecks unless they do their jobs, which only makes sense. Lawmakers in Washington must be held accountable for failing to enact a responsible budget for Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars. American families must live within their means and balance their budgets every day, and Congress must be held to the same responsible standard. Responsibly managing our nation’s finances must be the top priority, and this legislation brings us one step closer to holding our colleagues across the aisle accountable for not doing so.

This nation’s debt has reached $16.4 trillion. During President Obama’s first term, the debt increased by $5 trillion – twice as fast as it did under President Bush. It took over 200 years to accrue the rest of our debt, and it is outrageous that $5 trillion was added in just one term of a presidency. The state of our economy is a direct result of his reckless spending habits, and the passage of ‘No Budget, No Pay’ is a plea from House Republicans to Senate Democrats and the White House to get to work and pass a budget that puts us on a path toward living within our means.

Gibbs, a Republican, represents the 7th Congressional District of Ohio and is in his second term.