Posted on 06/28/2007 12:58:36 PM PDT by Anti-Hillary
WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite low approval ratings and hard feelings from last year's elections, Democrats and Republicans in the House are reaching out for an approximately $4,400 pay raise that would increase their salaries to almost $170,000.
The cost-of-living raise endorsed Wednesday evening gets lawmakers back on track for automatic pay raises after a fight between the parties last year and again in January killed the pay increase due this year. That was the first interruption of the annual congressional pay boost in seven years.
The blowup came after Democrats last year fulfilled a campaign promise to deny themselves more pay until Congress raised the minimum wage. Delays in the minimum wage bill cost every lawmaker about $3,100 this year.
On a 244-181 vote Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans alike killed a bid by Reps. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Lee Terry, R-Neb., to get a direct vote to block the COLA, which is automatically awarded unless lawmakers vote to block it. The Senate has not indicated when it will deal with a similar measure.
As part of an ethics bill in 1989, Congress gave up its ability to accept pay for speeches and made annual cost-of-living pay increases automatic unless the lawmakers voted otherwise.
The annual vote on the pay hike comes on an obscure procedural move - instead of a direct up-or-down vote - and Democratic and GOP leaders each delivered a majority of their members to shut off the move to block the pay hike.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
The way their approval ratings are headed, they might need hazard/combat pay.
Search is your friend. :-)
“Despite low approval ratings and hard feelings from last year’s elections”
You don’t do the job, you don’t get a raise. Duh!
what have they done to deserve a raise? All they seem to be interested in this year is cutting off funds to the troops and subpoenaing the president over and over.
Pay raise? Pay raise? PAY RAISE?!?! Hows about a refund. You want a pay raise in exchange for taxing and spending us to death? Insane.
We, your elected theives in washington, can do whatever we want because we make the laws to suit us and our greedy goals.
The only time we pay attention to you is during our re-election when we beg for your vote, after we get elected it’s f-off stupid.
Well said.
Thank you.
time we vote the incumbents out. I don’t care what party they claim they are.
Amendment XXVII
No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.
They better get it now because a bunch of them won’t be around to collect any salary after ‘08.
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