[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 86 (Thursday, May 24, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4697-H4698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      AMERICA'S FAITH IN CONGRESS

  (Mrs. MURPHY of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. MURPHY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the American people have little 
faith in Congress. They don't trust Members to work together in a 
bipartisan way, to put public interest above self-interest, and to do 
their most basic job, which is to set a budget and be fiscally 
responsible.
  Our Nation is strongest when our democratic institutions generate 
confidence, not cynicism, and when our leaders inspire pride, not 
pessimism. That is why Congressman Fitzpatrick and I introduced the 
FAITH in Congress Act.
  It requires House leaders to prioritize bipartisan bills over 
partisan ones, because we must put country over party.
  It abolishes automatic pay increases for Members of Congress, and it 
prohibits first-class travel at taxpayer expense, because it is time we 
end these perks.
  It enacts a simple principle called no budget, no pay, which says 
that if Congress doesn't pass a budget and appropriations bills on 
time, Members don't get paid, because the best way to stop incompetence 
is to stop rewarding it.

[[Page H4698]]

  Finally, it imposes a lifetime ban on former Members becoming 
lobbyists, because there should be no doubt that Members come to 
Congress to serve the public, not to line their own pockets.
  It is up to Congress to take the tough but necessary steps to earn 
the public's trust. The American people's faith in Congress has been 
damaged, and it is our job to repair it.

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