WASHINGTON — A Virginia congressman is calling for a return to common sense when it comes to how federal budgets are built.
For 12 of the past 13 fiscal years, when October first rolled around, the country was operating under a continuing resolution. A regularly scheduled, properly-crafted year-long federal budget had not been passed.
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Virginia, 1st District) is again trying to correct that, end the gridlock and stop the dysfunction.
This week, Wittman re-introduced three pieces of legislation he said will hold members of Congress accountable and bring transparency back to the budget and appropriations process:
"I want to make sure Congress does its job. If we don't get a budget on time, we shouldn't get a paycheck until we get that done," Wittman said in an interview with 13News Now.
Wittman said he is also pursuing becoming vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee.
And regarding recent national media speculation that Republican-proposed budget cuts could impact defense spending, Wittman said he doubts that will happen.
"I won't say there's won't be some members who say 'cut the military.' But I can tell you the members I've talked to, including the incoming budget chair and the incoming Ways and Means chairman are pretty adamant to say 'no, we are not going to cut the military,'" Wittman said.
In the new Republican-controlled 118th Congress, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Virginia, 3rd District) will become the ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Non-leadership committee assignments have not yet been announced by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.