COOPER TO INTRODUCE STOP PAY FOR MEMBERS ACT
July 26, 2011
WASHINGTON - Congressman Jim Cooper (TN-05) will introduce legislation that would stop
congressional pay if our country defaults on the national debt. The bill would prohibit members from receiving pay during a default and would
not allow for that pay to be recouped retroactively.
Cooper said, “Failure is not an option. But, if default occurs, another paycheck for congressmen and senators should not be an option either.”
Click here to review the Stop Member Pay Act.
Cooper is a long time advocate of a bipartisan debt plan that reduces spending, reforms the tax code and puts our country on a sustainable fiscal path. Last week, he sent a letter to Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi urging them to allow a vote on the “Gang of Six” bipartisan proposal that would have reduced the debt by almost $4 trillion over the next ten years. Unfortunately, House Leadership has refused to allow a vote on such a proposal.
Cooper supports and bipartisan approach to the debt ceiling debate and said:
“Debt and deficits are a bipartisan problem, requiring a bipartisan solution. I am doing everything possible to get Congress to act responsibly by paying its bills on time, reducing the growth of future spending, keeping our interest rates low and strengthening our weak economy. Time is running out.”
Cooper was also the co-sponsor of the SAFE Commission Act (H.R. 1557) which was the model for the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. The Gang of Six used the framework of the President’s Commission to produce their bipartisan proposal. He has listed information and resources on his website which will be updated throughout this debate .
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