Responsible Budgeting

Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. introduced the No Budget No Pay Act today which would stop pay for members of Congress if they fail to pass a budget. Bera introduced the bipartisan bill in the U.S. House with Congressmen Jim Cooper (D-TN), Reid Ribble (R-WI) and Ron DeSantis (R-FL).

Today, Rep. Ami Bera voted for the appropriations bill to fund the federal government and prevent another government shutdown. Rep. Bera made the following comment:

Congressman Ami Bera M.D. led several of his colleagues this week in a letter to Speaker John Boehner and Leader Nancy Pelosi urging them to make the No Budget No Pay Act permanent. No Budget No Pay says that if Congress doesn't pass a budget, then they don't get paid.

Last year, Bera fulfilled an oath he made to the people of Sacramento County when he became a lead co-sponsor of the No Budget No Pay Act. Congress soon after passed a one-year version of the law, and both the House and Senate passed a budget in 2013 for the first time in years.

Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. sent a letter to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen today to express his concerns about recent reports that millions of dollars in bonuses and time-off awards have beeb paid to Internal Revenue Service employees who owed the U.S. government taxes. He asked the commissioner to immediately take action to rescind these bonuses until the owed taxes are paid and make sure the IRS does not give out future bonuses to employees who owe the government money.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on several budget proposals over the past two days and passed the Ryan budget proposal 219 to 205 today. Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. made the following comment:

Today, Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. released the following statement about the House Republican budget proposal:

Earlier today, Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. announced he made good on the oath he made to the people of Sacramento County to decline his Congressional pension until Medicare and Social Security are secure for all Americans. He sent a check to the United States Treasury Bureau of the Public Debt for $4,914.53, the pension amount he accrued during 2013.