WASHINGTON — In principle, it sounds self-sacrificing, even noble: Congress swears off collecting its paychecks until it passes a budget.

But behind the “no budget, no pay” proposal, which the House passed last week when it voted to temporarily extend the debt limit, is also a basic reality: many of those who support the concept are so wealthy that their Congressional paychecks represent little more than a rounding error.

Take Representative Dave Camp, a Michigan Republican who led the charge on the measure in the House. He has a net worth between $3.8 million and $9.7 million, according to an analysis of his most recent financial disclosure by the Center for Responsive Politics.

That is not exactly a fortune befitting a Rockefeller or a Kennedy, but it is more than enough to cushion any discomfort he might feel from missing a few paydays. Many of the other lawmakers who have championed “no budget, no pay,” both Republicans and Democrats, are similarly wealthy.