(BISMARCK, ND) — State Senator and U.S. House Dem-NPL nominee, George Sinner announced his “No Work, No Pay” initiative today in Bismarck.

“It’s time for Congress to play by the same rules as every other hard working North Dakotan. That is why I am proposing the “No Work, No Pay” initiative,” said Sinner.

“When service members are being furloughed and citizens are struggling to make ends meet, but members of Congress, like Kevin Cramer, continue collecting a paycheck and enjoying the perks of Washington, a line has been crossed. Congress’ number one priority should be the people and this country, not their own interests.”

“One of the most important lessons my dad taught me was that the work comes first. The work isn’t happening in Washington, and we see that in the frequency of Congressman Cramer’s missed votes. My goal is to change that. If the government shuts down, members won’t get paid. If a member misses votes for unexcused reasons, they don’t get paid. Period. It’s time to cut the perks, and get to work.”

Background:

• Rep. Kevin Cramer supported the government shutdown but continued collecting his paycheck. (KFYR 10/1/2013, Huffington Post 10/3/2013)

• Congress kept its taxpayer-funded gym and salon open during the shutdown. (ABC News 10/8/2013, NBC Washington 10/9/2013)

• Cramer has missed 60 votes since taking office – a rate that is two and a half times the average member of Congress. (GovTrack)

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Kevin Cramer and the Government Shutdown

• Kevin Cramer supported the government shutdown, which led to 800,000 federal workers being furloughed, delayed paychecks to essential employees who were at work every day during the shutdown, and closed federal programs.

• On October 3rd, when asked about keeping his paycheck during the government shutdown, Kevin Cramer told Valley News Live, “…I don’t feel guilty about the salary that I earn and that the people pay me, and if it becomes a problem, you know, that’s what elections are about.” (HuffingtonPost)

• During a debate on May 1st, Kevin Cramer later went back on his previous statement by saying he donated a portion of his salary to charity but didn’t put out a press release on his salary as a numerous members of Congress did at that time “to brag about it,” yet never mentioned anything of the sort before that debate. (Bismarck Tribune)

• Kevin Cramer supported the shutdown of the government that lasted for 16 days and cost the our still recovering economy $24 billion. (Time)

Cramer’s Missed Votes

• Kevin Cramer has missed 5.6% of the House votes (60 out of 1,067 roll call votes). The median for the average member of Congress is 2.4% of members currently serving.

• From April to June, he missed 11.4% of his votes (25 out of 219 votes). (GovTrack)

• Since January, Kevin Cramer has missed an average of 7.7% of House votes.

• Kevin Cramer’s highest vote missed percentage was in May at 27.7%.

• Kevin Cramer has voted along party lines 94% of the time. (Washington Post)

Most Ineffective Congress in History

• The 113th Congress has so far accomplished the least of any Congress in history. It has passed only 126 laws so far. (Library of Congress)

• The 113th Congress is on par to be even less productive than the previous Congress, which passed 283 public laws. (Library of Congress)

• Members have been in session 95 days this year and won’t be in session for August, October and most of December. Last year’s session only went for about 160 days. This makes the days in session for this Congress among the lowest in recent history. (Library of Congress)

Rep. Kevin Cramer’s PSC Pay Raises

• While serving on the Public Service Commission, Kevin Cramer’s salary increased by more than 35 percent from 2003 to 2012, to nearly $100,000.

• In 2003, public service commissioners were paid $69,873.96. By 2012 it was up to $95,610.96 (Government salaries are public record).

For more information, log onto www.sinnerforcongress.com.

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From: Dem-NPL News