Freshman pledges to refuse congressional pension, decline health benefits

Freshman Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) said Monday that he would decline the pension and health benefits he is eligible for as a member of Congress, saying these choices are his way of "demonstrating my commitment to reforming Congress."

In an op-ed for the Daytona Beach News Journal, DeSantis said he has also joined the bipartisan Fix Congress Now Caucus, which supports legislation banning member pay until Congress passes a budget.

"This concept has garnered support from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who recognize that our nation needs a major course correction, and I intend to co-sponsor No Budget, No Pay legislation during the 113th Congress," he wrote. "The suspension of congressional pay if a budget is not passed in a timely manner is one way to ensure some level of accountability."

The Fix Congress Now Caucus was founded by Reps. Scott Rigell (R-Va.), Reid Ribble (R-Wis.), Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) and Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.). But even with DeSantis, the caucus has just 11 members of the 113th Congress as members.

Other members currently in the caucus are Republicans Steve Southerland (Fla.), Diane Black (Tenn.) and Bill Flores (Texas), and Democrats John Barrow (Ga.), Dave Loebsack (Iowa) and Dan Lipinski (Ill.).

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