You've probably seen it. Maybe it was a frantic Facebook post from your uncle or a chain email that’s been circulating since the Obama administration. It claims there is a "Congressional Reform Act of 2013" sitting on a desk somewhere, or perhaps it was just passed, and it’s going to finally "fix" Washington by stripping politicians of their lavish perks.
It sounds amazing. Truly.
The post usually lists about eight or ten points. It says Congress should have no tenure, no posh retirement plan, and that they must participate in the same healthcare system as the rest of us. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to hit "share" immediately because, honestly, who isn't a little fed up with the folks on Capitol Hill? But here is the thing: the Congressional Reform Act of 2013 doesn't actually exist. At least, not in the way the internet wants it to.
The Anatomy of a Political Myth
Legislative reality is usually boring. It’s a mess of subcommittees, CBO scores, and procedural delays. But the internet prefers a hero story. The myth of the Congressional Reform Act of 2013 began as a piece of "copypasta"—text that gets copied and pasted over and over again until the original source is a mystery.
If you look at the text of these viral posts, they often claim that "Congressman Warren Buffett" or some other famous figure proposed it. First off, Warren Buffett has never been in Congress. He’s a billionaire investor from Omaha. He did once suggest that Congress should be barred from reelection if the deficit exceeds 3% of GDP, but that was an offhand comment in a CNBC interview, not a bill.
The viral text usually includes demands like:
- No Tenure / 12-year limit.
- Congress participates in Social Security.
- No more self-awarded pay raises.
- Vested only after 1 term.
Here is the kicker: some of what the "Act" demands is actually already the law, while other parts are constitutionally impossible without a full-blown Amendment. For example, members of Congress have been paying into Social Security since 1984. They aren't exempt. They also don't get "full pay for life" after serving one term. That’s a total fabrication that has been debunked by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and FactCheck.org dozens of times over the last decade.
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Why People Keep Falling for It
We believe what we want to believe. Psychologically, the Congressional Reform Act of 2013 fills a void. It offers a simple, "one-size-fits-all" solution to complex systemic problems like gerrymandering, lobbying, and campaign finance.
When you see a post saying "The 28th Amendment" is being proposed to force Congress to live like the rest of us, it triggers a visceral sense of fairness. You’ve probably felt that sting when you see your own insurance premiums rise while hearing rumors about "cadillac" plans for Senators. It’s frustrating.
But the real 2013 legislative record looks very different. If you search the official Congressional database (Congress.gov) for 2013, you won't find a "Reform Act" that matches these viral bullet points. You’ll find the Government Shutdown of 2013. You’ll find debates over the Affordable Care Act. You’ll find the STOCK Act amendments—which, ironically, actually weakened some transparency requirements for high-level government employees, the exact opposite of what the viral meme promises.
What Really Happened in 2013?
If we want to talk about actual reform from that era, we have to look at the No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. This was a real law (P.L. 113-3). It didn't strip Congress of their pensions or limit their terms. Instead, it temporarily held their pay in escrow if they couldn't pass a budget on time.
It was a gimmick.
The Constitution (specifically the 27th Amendment) actually makes it very hard to mess with Congressional pay during a current term. You can’t just stop paying them because you’re mad; the law says any change in pay can’t take effect until after the next election. So, the 2013 "reform" was mostly theater.
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There was also a real bill called the Trust in Congress Act of 2013 (H.R. 172) introduced by Rep. Scott Rigell. It aimed to reduce salaries for Members of Congress. Guess what? It died in committee. Most real reform bills do. They get introduced for the sake of a press release and then vanish into the legislative graveyard because the people in charge of voting for the bill are the ones who would lose money or power if it passed.
Comparing the Myth to Reality
Let's break down the most common claims in those emails vs. what the law actually says.
The Retirement Myth: The viral post says they get "full pay for life."
The Reality: Members of Congress are under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). To get a pension, they generally need to serve at least five years. Even then, the amount is a percentage of their salary based on years of service, not the whole paycheck. According to the CRS, the average pension for a retired member is around $40,000 to $60,000—not exactly the "king’s ransom" the memes suggest, though still better than what most private-sector workers have.
The Healthcare Myth: The post says they have "free healthcare for life."
The Reality: Since the passage of the ACA (Obamacare), members of Congress and their staff are actually required by law to purchase their insurance through the DC Health Link exchange. They get an employer contribution from the government, just like many corporate employees get from their bosses, but it isn't "free."
The Term Limits Myth: The post says the Congressional Reform Act of 2013 would institute term limits.
The Reality: The Supreme Court ruled in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton (1995) that states cannot limit the terms of federal offices. To get term limits, you’d need a Constitutional Amendment, which requires a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress or a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures. A simple "Act" of Congress can't do it.
The Problem with "Good" Misinformation
You might think, "So what if the bill is fake? It gets people talking about the right issues."
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That is a dangerous way to look at it. When we chase ghosts like the Congressional Reform Act of 2013, we stop looking at the real, incremental reforms that might actually happen. While people were sharing fake emails about Warren Buffett, real issues like dark money in elections and gerrymandering were getting worse.
If you want to see actual reform, you have to look at things like the For the People Act or the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. These are real pieces of legislation with actual bill numbers and sponsors. They don't promise to magically fix everything with ten bullet points, and they are often bogged down in partisan fighting, but they are real.
Kinda makes you wish the fake bill was real, doesn't it? It’s much cleaner. But democracy is messy.
Actionable Steps for the Skeptical Citizen
If you encounter a post or email about a "new" law that sounds too good to be true, don't just get angry. Get smart. Here is how you can actually vet this stuff without spending all day in a library:
- Check Congress.gov: Every single bill introduced since the 1970s is searchable by keyword or year. If you type in "Congressional Reform Act" and nothing comes up for 2013, it's a dud.
- Look for a Bill Number: Real legislation always has a prefix like H.R. (House of Representatives) or S. (Senate) followed by a number. No number? No bill.
- Read the 27th Amendment: Understanding this one paragraph of the Constitution will help you spot 90% of Congressional pay scams. It basically says Congress can't change its own pay during the current session.
- Follow the CRS: The Congressional Research Service is a non-partisan group that writes plain-English reports on how government works. Their reports on "Congressional Salaries and Allowances" are the gold standard for facts.
- Verify the "Hero": If the post says a specific person proposed the law, check their official government website. If they really proposed a massive reform act, they would be shouting it from the rooftops, not hiding it in an anonymous chain email.
The Congressional Reform Act of 2013 is a phantom. It's a digital urban legend that reflects our very real desire for a more accountable government. But if we want change, we have to start with the facts, even when they aren't as satisfying as a viral Facebook post.
Support organizations that track real legislative movements. Look into the Center for Responsive Politics to see where the money is actually going. Read the text of bills before they are voted on. It's more work than clicking "share," but it's the only way to actually move the needle.
Stop sharing the 2013 myth. Start calling your representative about real, numbered legislation currently sitting in committee. That’s where the actual power lies.