WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) today introduced two bills aimed at enforcing the executive branch’s budget deadlines. After willfully ignoring yesterday’s deadline to submit his budget proposal, President Joe Biden has failed three times during his presidency to abide by federal law requiring him to submit his budget to Congress by the first Monday of February. President Biden’s inaction on a budget submission causes Congressional delays in the federal funding process and represents a lack of transparency for taxpayers over their national government’s spending priorities.
The Presidential Accountability for Yearly Submission of the United States’ Budget Act, or PAYSTUB Act, will withhold all political appointees’ salary payments until the presidential budget is submitted. The Presidential Budget Accountability Act will withhold funds for presidential travel, official entertainment, and other expense accounts if the President fails to submit a timely budget to Congress. Should the Presidential Budget Accountability Act become law, it will not apply to Presidents until fiscal year 2025.
“Without an enforcement mechanism in place, budget deadlines are mere suggestions. Like households and businesses across the country, the United States government cannot function properly without a budget - look no further than the $31 trillion in national debt for proof. We need the PAYSTUB Act and the Presidential Budget Accountability Act to pass so we can send a message to the American people that the balancing the budget is our top priority,” said Rep. Carter.
“Disregard for the budget submission deadline is part of a larger culture of disrespect for our nation’s laws coming from the Oval Office,” said Senator Marshall. “Presidents need to be held accountable for seemingly forgetting or just not caring about timely budget submissions, or else the American people will continue to be see their elected officials left out of important funding discussions and forced to vote on massive, last minute Omnibus spending packages like we saw last December. With government spending out of control, persistent inflation, and interest rates on the rise, we need to return to a responsible budgeting process now more than ever. It is up to Presidents – both current and future – to initiate the budget process on time by letting Congress know where their administration’s spending priorities lie.”
This legislation comes after the Biden administration, which already holds the record for the latest submission of a presidential budget in modern history, failed to submit its fiscal year 2024 budget proposal by the February 6th, 2023 deadline.
Read the full PAYSTUB Act text here.
Read the full Presidential Budget Accountability Act text here.
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