For decades, Congress has operated under a different set of rules than the rest of America.
When the government shuts down, federal workers worry about their next paycheck. Small businesses lose contracts. Veterans wait for services. Families feel the squeeze.
And what happens to Congress?
They still get paid.
That ends now.
I’m introducing one of my first bills in the next Congress: The Hold Congress Accountable Act.
This bill makes it simple:
If Congress can’t pass a real, balanced budget — if they shut the government down — they don’t get paid.
No back pay. No exceptions. No more business as usual.
What This Bill Does
The Hold Congress Accountable Act ends the political charade that’s defined Washington for too long.
✅ No Pay During Shutdowns.
If the government closes, Congress’s paychecks stop immediately.
✅ No Retroactive Pay.
They don’t get it back when the government reopens. There’s no “make-up” payday for failure. To avoid issues with the 27th Amendment, this pay deduction will occur in the next Congress, described below.
✅ Future Forfeiture.
If a Member of Congress stays in office, they lose an equal number of days of pay in the next Congress as the number of shutdown days in this one.
No getting around it. No insider carveouts.
✅ Balanced Budget Requirement.
The only way to reopen the government after a shutdown is by passing a true balanced budget — no gimmicks, no borrowing, no blank checks.
✅ Emergency Clause Only.
A two-thirds vote can allow temporary deficit spending only during a declared war or national emergency.
Why It Matters
Every family in America knows what happens when you spend more than you earn.
You get debt. You get stress. And eventually, you get collapse.
But in Washington, they call that “normal.”
Congress borrows money to fund programs we can’t afford, then pats itself on the back for “keeping the government open.”
Keeping it open on borrowed money is not leadership. It’s cowardice.
America is at a breaking point.
Prices are high. Interest rates are crushing families. The national debt has exploded past $35 trillion.
And yet the same career politicians who caused this crisis keep getting paid — even when they can’t do the basic job of passing a budget.
That’s why the Hold Congress Accountable Act is more than a bill — it’s a line in the sand.
It says:
- If you can’t do your job, you don’t get paid.
- If you can’t balance the budget, you can’t borrow another dime.
- If America suffers from a shutdown, Congress suffers too.
The America First Way
This isn’t about partisanship — it’s about priorities.
Washington has forgotten who it works for.
This bill reminds them: Congress works for the American people.
It’s time to end the days of career politicians cashing checks while running the country into the ground.
It’s time to restore fairness, discipline, and accountability.
It’s time to rebuild trust in government by demanding the same responsibility from Washington that every family practices around their own kitchen table.
America doesn’t need more continuing resolutions, stopgap measures, and excuses.
We need leaders who can look voters in the eye and say:
We live within our means — just like you do.
Final Word
Accountability is not optional.
Congress shouldn’t get a paycheck while America gets the bill.
The Hold Congress Accountable Act restores what Washington lost:
Integrity. Responsibility. Leadership.
And for the first time in a long time, it puts the American people — not the politicians — first.