TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- The United States Congress has seen its share of monetary issues of late, facing down problems like the fiscal cliff for example.
According to Rep. Alan Nunnelee of Tupelo and others, a lot of the monetary problems stem from the country being $16 trillion in debt.
Nunnelee says the law requires Congress to pass a budget, but points out there's no teeth in the law.
"Over the last several years, the House has passed a measure saying how we are going to get out of this mess. For four years the U.S. Senate has not passed any kind of budget," Rep. Nunnelee said. "The last thing I did before I left D.C. was vote on a plan that said if Congress doesn't pass a budget, then Congress doesn't get paid."
The U.S. House of Representatives passed that measure just last week.
Now it's up to the Senate to decide, Nunnelee said, if they in turn want to tie their yearly salaries to passing a budget or not.
Members of Congress are paid $174,000 a year.
Nunnelee said as far as he's concerned when it comes to the U.S. budget, it's 'put up or shut up' time.
"It just seems to me that [with] familes that get in a financial mess, up to their necks in credit card debt or small business debt, you've got to come up with a plan," Nunnelee said. "And the House has had a plan that abolishes our budget in ten years."
Whether the "No Budget, No Pay" concept will make it in Congress remains to be seen.
Leaders have until April 15 to have a budget in place.
The law provides that if Congress fails to pass an annual budget, a series of appropriations bills must be passed as "stop gap" measures.
