I urge all of the voters of Maine, and across our nation, to require that our elected federal representatives enact this simple piece of legislation:

“If the complete federal budget has not been signed into law before the beginning of the federal fiscal year, then the president, vice president and all members of Congress shall be prohibited from soliciting, receiving, transferring or disbursing any campaign funds in any form until the complete budget has been enacted into law.”

Congress and the president have been derelict in their duty to pass, and sign into law, a complete federal budget. Our leaders have relied on “continuing resolutions’ to fund the government. In 2018 there were three partial shutdowns, each hurting hundreds of thousands of Americans. Instead of doing their work, they squabble like children trying to score points that they hope will get them re-elected. Re-election, rather than doing the people’s work, seems to be the goal of our leaders.

This needs to end. Unfortunately, by law we cannot withhold their salaries, as much as they deserve to go without a paycheck, as they are requiring many federal workers to do.

The above law, when passed, will incentivize our president and members of Congress to cooperate and do their duty. If they fail to pass the budget, then on Oct. 1 they should be able to focus on it, as campaigning will become very difficult for incumbents. Campaign funds will be essentially frozen, and while incumbents can continue to seek votes, they will have to do it the old-fashioned way: looking individual voters in the eye and explaining why they have failed to do their job. No polling. No ads. No phone banks.

Please join me in contacting our congressional members to have this legislation introduced and passed.

Alan Hull

Portland