Hoyer and House appropriators back potential pay raise for Congress

[babylonsister]

Hoyer and House appropriators back potential pay raise for Congress
Salaries for rank-and-file lawmakers have been frozen at $174,000 since 2010
Posted Jun 4, 2019 1:58 PM
Katherine Tully-McManus


House Democrats are making moves to lift the pay freeze that lawmakers have been living under since 2010. But the top Senate appropriator is not on board.

House appropriators released their fiscal 2020 Financial Services spending bill earlier this week, striking a provision that blocked members of Congress from receiving an increase in pay. The salary for rank-and-file House and Senate lawmakers is $174,000, but those with official leadership titles and responsibilities make more.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer said Tuesday that he supports the move.

“That was taken to court; the court ruled it was not a pay raise, it was an adjustment on an annual basis for inflation,” the Maryland Democrat said during a pen and pad briefing with reporters.

Hoyer said that if it was, in fact, a pay raise, it would not be able to take effect until the next Congress. He cited the cost of housing in the District of Columbia as well as provisions that prevent staff from earning more than a member as two reasons to allow the pay increase to move forward.

snip//

Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., said Monday that he’s unlikely to support a provision in the House Appropriations Committee's fiscal 2020 Financial Services spending bill that would provide a pay raise for members of Congress.

“I think the American people would think that Congress ought to earn it first,” Shelby said.

more...

https://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/hoyer-house-appropriators-back-potential-pay-raise-congress?fbclid=IwAR19QbzCkUYCFgBUzFRKTNQjFc8RQCuY_0bBfMRL8w7BzBx0YEGTrG6Y9Po

[nykym]

1. How about making

the federal wage 15.00.
While that would net the recipient a measly 31,200/yr it would be better than the current $7.25/hr. x 40/hr = $290.00 x 52 = $15,080.00
Quite a disparity between $174,000.00 and $15,080.00.

[Bayard]

2. Very bad timing

Does not look good in an election cycle, and it will get played by tRump and his band of squirrely men.

[genxlib]

3. Trade pay for future lobbying rights

There was much said about a lobbying ban proposed by Ted Cruz and AOC last week.

I am in favor of curtailing all congress critters making money off their positions in future employment. For that, I would gladly increase their pay significantly.

It would be a bargain for the Country

[tritsofme]

4. I support paying congressmen a reasonable salary, the tar and feather mentality that usually

surrounds this discussion is just wrong.

It doesn’t cost that much, and it enables more ordinary people to actually serve.

The billionaires and millionaires that make up most of Congress aren’t sweating their salary, but it can make a huge difference to the more citizen type legislators, many of whom arrived in 2018, that face real struggles in maintaining two residences, among other things.

“Punishing” lawmakers by paying them little or less only helps the ultra-rich who already dominate membership in these bodies.

[Recursion]

5. God I hate the mob mentality that takes over here

There's nothing wrong with Representatives making a very good salary. That is not the problem.