Freshman Republican Rep. Steve Daines, Montana’s lone congressman, introduced his first bill in Congress Wednesday afternoon: the Balanced Budget Accountability Act. The measure would require Congress to pass a budget that will balance in 10 years or members of Congress will have their pay terminated, according to a press release from Daines’ office.
To anybody who followed his campaign, the bill shouldn’t come as a surprise. Daines spoke frequently about a balanced-budget amendment and the need for the federal government to rethink how it deals with its finances.
“This is common sense,” Daines said in a Feb. 6 statement. “The American people deserve a balanced budget. Unfortunately, Washington remains unwilling to take the steps needed to get our country back on solid fiscal ground. The Balanced Budget Accountability Act reflects the things we’ve seen work in Montana: common sense business principles that protect hardworking taxpayers, making elected officials accountable to the people they serve, and of course, balancing the budget. We must make smart decisions today so that we can give to the next generation what they’ve been promised. The Balanced Budget Accountability Act will help us do that.”
Click here for a video statement from Daines.