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H.R. 5738 · Where this bill is now

In committee

Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on House Administration, Oct 10, 2025

What this bill does

In plain words · AI-written from the official summary

Ties congressional pay to passing budgets

This bill says members of Congress won't receive paychecks in any fiscal year (the government's annual budget period) until both the Senate and House approve a budget resolution and pass all the regular spending bills for that year. Once they complete these tasks, they get paid for the full year, but they can't receive back pay for the time they waited.

How it affects you

This doesn't directly change anything in your daily life, but it's designed to pressure Congress to finish its budget work on time. Right now, Congress sometimes delays passing spending bills, which can cause government shutdowns that affect federal employees, military members, and services you might rely on. This law aims to give lawmakers a stronger incentive to finish their work by withholding their own paychecks until the job is done.

Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Oct 10, 2025)

No Budget, No Pay Act

This bill prohibits Members of Congress from being paid in a fiscal year until both chambers approve the budget resolution and pass all regular appropriations bills for that fiscal year. Retroactive pay is prohibited for such a period.

This bill takes effect on September 29, 2027.

Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.

119th Congress
1st SessionH. R. 5738

A BILL

No Budget, No Pay Act

In the HouseNo vote yet

Sponsor: Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC-14) · Introduced Oct 10, 2025 · Congress · 1 version of the text

Read the full billOfficial record on Congress.gov ↗

Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Oct 10, 2025: “Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.”

Sections

Sections · 6