Thread: House lawmakers accept $3,300 pay hike

House Lawmakers Accept $3,300 Pay Hike
Jun 13 4:56 PM US/Eastern
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By ANDREW TAYLOR
Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON


Despite record low approval ratings, House lawmakers Tuesday embraced a $3,300 pay raise that will increase their salaries to $168,500.

The 2 percent cost-of-living raise would be the seventh straight for members of the House and Senate.

Lawmakers easily squelched a bid by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, to get a direct vote to block the COLA, which is automatically awarded unless lawmakers vote to block it.

In the early days of GOP control of Congress, lawmakers routinely denied themselves the annual COLA. Last year, the Senate voted 92-6 to deny the raise but quietly surrendered the position in House-Senate talks.

As part of an ethics reform bill in 1989, Congress gave up their ability to accept pay for speeches and made annual cost-of-living pay increases automatic unless the lawmakers voted otherwise.

The pay issue has been linked to the annual Transportation and Treasury Department spending bill because that measure stipulates that civil servants get raises of 2.7 percent, the same as military personnel will receive. Under a complicated formula, the increase translates to 2 percent for members of Congress.

Like last year, Matheson led a quixotic drive to block the raise. He was the only member to speak on the topic.

"I do not think that it is appropriate to let this bill go through without an up or down vote on whether or not Congress should have an increase in its own pay," Matheson said.

But by a 249-167 vote, the House rejected Matheson's procedural attempt to get a direct vote on the pay raise.

The pay raise would also apply to the vice president _ who is president of the Senate _ congressional leaders and Supreme Court justices.

This year, Vice President Cheney, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Chief Justice William Rehnquist receive $212,100. Associate justices receive $203,000. House and Senate party leaders get $183,500.

President Bush's salary of $400,000 is unaffected by the legislation.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/13/D8I7ID800.html

Raises? For what? They are not doing their jobs. I think this needs to be changed. The American taxpayers should get to vote whether they deserve a raise. I do not get to give myself a raise. What a crock.

I think I am going to tell my employer I voted myself a raise. They will laugh in may face

So they get a pay raise for treason, do they?

GRRRRRRR!

More tax payer dollars subsidizing traitors, seditionists and corporate johns. My military retirement and VA disability only increased by 40.00 a month. And they were debating on that before it was approved. Go figure.

Doesn't this just tick you off?!!! There's a couple I would give a raise to. But as for the rest.......I think a drastic PAY CUT is in order not to mention the ones needing a pink slip.

Seems to me it should be the tax payers who vote on whether they deserve a raise or not. Based on their performance. Isn't that what everybody else has to do? I mean when's the last time you took a count of hands amongst your fellow employees in the lunch room to see if you all wanted a raise? And then just GOT it! With the defecit as it is if it were any other business there would be tons of lay-offs not to mention some out-sourcing, maybe some pay decreases if you still wanted a job. Throw in some cuts in benefits too. These "servents" need to get off thier pampered butts and join the real world.

Well, it HAS to be a cost of living raise, because its sure cant be based on their performance!

Did they give themselves a pay raise this yes, 2008?