[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 182 (Thursday, November 16, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S17193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           NO BUDGET--NO PAY

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, here we are in day four of a partial 
shutdown of the Federal Government, and the only Federal employees that 
are not feeling any pain regarding their paychecks are the Members of 
Congress. We are treated differently, and that is wrong.
  I know that twice the U.S. Senate passed my no-budget--no-pay 
amendment, and we have done it with bipartisanship. We have done it 
with Senator Dole and Senator Daschle, with the Republican leadership 
and the Democratic leadership. I am very proud of that. Congressman 
Durbin is trying to get this through on the District of Columbia 
appropriations bill, and we are very hopeful that will occur. But at 
this point, it is stymied.
  I think it is shameful. I think it is embarrassing. I think it is a 
height of hypocrisy that the Members of Congress, who have caused this 
problem because we cannot figure it out, are still getting our pay. And 
I am very pleased that Senator Snowe has introduced a bill. We have 
worked on it together, and we are trying very hard to bring it forward 
because the other efforts of the Senate are not enough at this time.
  The problem we face is that one of the amendments we passed is on the 
District of Columbia bill, and that is stuck. The other one we passed 
is on reconciliation, and that is not here yet. We continue to get our 
pay while all other personnel--and Senator Harkin pointed this out to 
the Senate yesterday--are not getting their pay.
  So I would like to ask unanimous consent that I send to the desk now 
for its immediate consideration a no budget-no pay bill that will treat 
the Members of the Senate and the Members of the House exactly like 
Federal employees, and I hope there will not be any objection because 
we are on record before and I would like to take us on record now in a 
separate bill because the American people are disgusted with this 
situation as, indeed, they should be. And, yes, there are colleagues 
who are giving their pay to charity. There are colleagues who are 
putting their pay in escrow. And some are not even talking about it. 
That is very, very noble. But that does not address the institutional 
failure here.
  So I ask unanimous consent to take up the no budget-no pay bill right 
now.
  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, on behalf of 
several Senators on both sides of the aisle who were informed on the 
last vote that would be the last vote and have therefore left the 
Senate Chamber, without commenting on the merits or demerits of the 
proposition put forward by the Senator from California, I will object 
on behalf of the Senators who are absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Several Senators addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.

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