Issue Position: MAKING CONGRESS WORK

Issue Position

Supporting the "No Budget, No Pay Act"

I support the "No Budget, No Pay Act." However, as with any simple solution to a complex problem, it comes with its own issues -- a bad budget passed in time does not help the country or the economy. It does not create jobs or help states plan based on real numbers. The solution to the relationship between Congress and the American people is not just in getting the work done, but in getting it done well; deliberating honestly, and working towards solutions that are debated and agreed upon because they are the best solutions for the country, not just for one party. While I support the concept of a "No Budget, No Pay" act, it must also have a requirement that the budget passed is a budget that works.

Reforming the Filibuster

The Senate's recent overuse of the filibuster has stalled progress on practically every issue of importance in America. The 60-vote requirement that it creates is not in the Constitution; the framers understood fractions, if they wanted to require a super-majority for Senate action, they would have said so. Further, Senators are no longer even required to stand on the floor and speak to filibuster. The filibuster stops Congress dead in its tracks, and, given the seriousness and urgency of the issues we face, this is unacceptable. We must reform the use of the filibuster so that Congress again can function how the Founders intended. We should at least require that Senators speak on the floor in order to maintain a filibuster. Additionally, a number of other reform options should be looked into, like limiting the number of times per session a party can use the filibuster, or lowering the threshold to end debate down to 55 votes.

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