Federal deficit causes Congressional pay cut

H.R. 500, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007, is well named. If passed into law it would trigger a cut in Congressional pay for each year in which the federal government runs a deficit.

This bill would provide strong incentives for Congress to Downsize DC. It also has the virtue of being only one page long. The full text is provided on the Background page.

H.R. 500 has been sponsored by Rep. Nathan Deal [GA-9], and currently has the following co-sponsors: Rep Roscoe Bartlett [MD-6], Rep Phil English [PA-3], Rep Jeff Flake [AZ-6], Rep Phil Gingrey [GA-11], Rep Jeff Miller [FL-1], Rep Ron Paul [TX-14], Rep Lynn Westmoreland [GA-3]. UPDATE: Since DownsizeDC.org launched this campaign, additional co-sponsors have been added: Rep Virgil H. Goode, Jr. [VA-5], Rep J. Gresham Barrett [SC-3], Rep Brian Bilbray [CA-50], Rep Jo Ann Emerson [MO-8], and Rep George Radanovich [CA-19].

Please apply pressure to add your representatives to this list by sending a message to Congress.

If your representative is on this list, please use the personal comments portion of your message to say thank you, and to ask your Senators to become co-sponsors. If your Representative is not on the list, please ask him or her, and both of your Senators, to sponsor HR 500. Our Congressional Contact System enables you to send instructions to all of your elected representatives with just one message.

Sending a message is easy. You can write as much or as little as you want. And we start with a brief sentence or two for you. We do this so that . . .

• The most important point of this campaign is not lost on the Congressional office.
• No one can hijack our system for a purpose inconsistent with Downsizing DC.
• But you can still personalize the rest of your message — explain why you were motivated to send this message, or what you believe is the most compelling argument in support of your position.

Are these messages read even with so many folks sending a common first line? You bet they are! Congress cannot afford not to pay attention. And many DC Downsizers get responses from their Congressmen. If you receive a letter, feel free to share it with us at comments@DownsizeDC.org.

• If you've used our Educate the Powerful System^SM before just enter your user email address and password, and hit GO. You'll be taken to a screen where you can add your own comments to the message to your elected representatives.
• If you're using our Educate the Powerful System^SM for the first time, please fill out the form for new users. This information is used to direct your message to the correct Senators. Please provide your own password. Do not let the system create one for you. Remember your password. It will allow you to use our system easily in the future for other issues.

Your Letter to Congress

Below is the text of the letter we will send on your behalf:

Please co-sponsor H.R. 500, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007.       [Your personal comments here]       Get Involved! In two easy steps, you can speak out on this issue right now: Note: If this is your FIRST TIME using the system or you didn't register an account at your last visit, you'll need to REGISTER, but if you're... Already registered? Then... 1. Log in:
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