TPM's Brian Beutler reports that two dozen House Democrats have written a letter to House Speaker John Boehner urging him to schedule a clean vote on legislation to stop congressional pay in the event of a federal shutdown.
The Senate has already passed a bill that would do just that, but Boehner has yet to bring it up for a vote in the House. Moreover, as Beutler points out, such a bill might not be constitutional, thanks to the 27th Amendment which forbids Congress from changing its pay in between elections.
That being the case, it's hard to imagine a representative or senator suing Congress over such legislation, and if Boehner does schedule it for a vote, it's sure to pass overwhelmingly.
Aside from the political optics, scheduling the bill for a vote would be a smart move by Boehner, assuming that (as appears to be the case) he wants to get a funding deal done. Having the threat of a paycheck stoppage at his disposal would give him another tool to rein in his tea party caucus, because even tea partiers need their government paychecks. Just ask Sean Duffy.
texas senators and representatives new mexico senators manifestos of political parties what is a political party
No comments:
Post a Comment