SB45, titled the Balanced Budget Accountability Act, would tie congressional pay to the adoption of a balanced federal budget. The bill defines a “balanced budget” as a concurrent budget resolution for fiscal year 2035 and later that keeps outlays at or below receipts and limits spending to no more than 18 percent of projected GDP. It directs the Office of Management and Budget to certify whether each chamber has adopted such a resolution.
If a chamber fails to receive that certification for fiscal years 2026 or 2027 by the specified April 16 deadline, the salaries of Members serving in that chamber would be placed in escrow until the chamber adopts a balanced budget or the Congress ends. For fiscal year 2028 and beyond, if no certification is made by the deadline, Members of that chamber would be paid at an annual rate of $1 for the affected pay periods. The bill also imposes a three-fifths supermajority requirement in both chambers for any bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report that increases revenue.
Impact
The bill would create a new federal mechanism linking congressional compensation to budget outcomes and would require administrative action by OMB, the House Chief Administrative Officer, and the Senate Secretary to certify compliance and manage escrowed pay. It would not directly amend tax rates or spending programs, but it would alter congressional procedure by imposing a supermajority threshold for revenue-increasing measures and would effectively pressure Congress to adopt balanced-budget resolutions. The bill also references the Twenty-Seventh Amendment to justify the escrow approach and preserve constitutional limits on changing legislators’ compensation during a term.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed positively by its sponsor as a fiscal accountability and deficit-reduction proposal. Its findings emphasize the size of the federal debt, persistent deficits, and the need for congressional accountability. There is no recorded vote history or transcript evidence in the provided material showing organized support or opposition, but the structure of the bill suggests a strong ideological emphasis on budget discipline and limiting revenue increases.
Contention
The main points of contention are likely to be the constitutionality, practicality, and policy effects of tying Member pay to budget adoption. Critics could argue that the escrow and $1 salary provisions are coercive, may not meaningfully solve deficits, and could raise constitutional questions despite the bill’s Twenty-Seventh Amendment language. The three-fifths requirement for revenue legislation is also likely to be controversial because it would make it harder to raise taxes or otherwise increase federal revenue, shifting leverage toward anti-tax and fiscal restraint positions. Supporters would likely view these provisions as necessary accountability measures to force action on the national debt.
Inaction Has Consequences Act This bill withholds the salaries of Members of a chamber of Congress that has not passed each of the annual appropriations bills before the beginning of the fiscal year, beginning with FY2024. Salaries are released on the earlier of (1) the date on which the chamber of Congress passes the bills, or (2) the last day of the Congress.
Citizen Legislature Anti-Corruption Reform of Congress Act or the CLEAN Congress Act This bill (1) requires bills, orders, resolutions, or votes submitted by Congress to the President to include only one subject that is clearly and descriptively expressed in the measure's title; and (2) makes ineffective any provision of law that excludes its application to a Member of Congress or to an employee in a Member's office.
Citizen Legislature Anti-Corruption Reform of Congress Act or the CLEAN Congress Act This bill (1) requires bills, orders, resolutions, or votes submitted by Congress to the President to include only one subject that is clearly and descriptively expressed in the measure's title; and (2) makes ineffective any provision of law that excludes its application to a Member of Congress or to an employee in a Member's office.
Read the Bills ActThis bill establishes requirements for bills and resolutions to be introduced or considered by the Senate or the House of Representatives.First, the bill requires any bill or resolution to cite the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact all provisions in the proposed measure. Without this information, the measure may not be accepted by the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate or submitted for a final vote. Each measure must also set forth the current law such measure is amending and show the proposed modifications to the law (except where a complete section of law is stricken). Further, a vote on final passage of such measure may not occur unless (1) the full text of the measure is published at least seven days before the vote, (2) public notice of the calendar week during which the vote is scheduled to take place is posted at least six days before the Monday of such week, and (3) the full text of the measure is read verbatim to the assembled body in each chamber. Members must affirm in writing that they read the measure in full or were present throughout the reading before voting in favor of passing the measure (i.e., such requirements do not apply for a member who votes against passage).The bill also authorizes a person aggrieved by a violation of the bill's provisions to sue for appropriate relief (such as an injunction against enacting the measure).