Suggested first Republican budget cut: Congressional salaries

From the "be careful what you wish for" file, comes a report out of D.C. that three prominent taxpayer advocacy groups are calling on the new Republican majority in the House to start their promised cost cutting very close to home.

Slashing the salaries of Representatives, say the organizations, would show voters the House GOP is going to lead by example.

Yeah, like that's ever going to happen.

But I applaud representatives of the National Taxpayers Union, the Brookings Institution and Citizens Against Government Waste for raising the touchy, at least on Capitol Hill, issue of Congressional pay.

What they're worth: Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) is slated to receive a $30,100 pay increase when he becomes Speaker of the House in the upcoming 112th Congress. His annual salary will be $223,500.

The base pay for House and Senate lawmakers is $174,000. Majority and minority leaders each make $193,400 per year.

The GOP's Pledge to America, a political document unveiled as the midterm elections wound down, does does call for cutting Congress' budget.

However, Boehner spokesman Michael Steel told The Hill newspaper that "no specific decisions have been made about how that will be done at this time."

A gesture we can relate to: Cutting pay, said National Taxpayers Union executive vice president Pete Sepp, would be "one of the best symbols, because unlike virtually anything else the federal government does, when Congress spends money on its own salaries and benefits, people can make a direct comparison to their own situation."

Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, said he supports members taking a pay cut. But, according to The Hill, when Norquist spoke with Republican leadership aides recently, they were not quick to jump on the idea.

However, Norquist said, Republicans might want to unveil the pay cut in a ceremonial fashion and not have their limelight stolen.

Personally, with out without a formal limelight ceremony, I'll believe in smaller Congressional paychecks when I actually see 'em … or pigs flying down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Related posts:

• Potential Republican budget cuts
• Reagan tax cut architect says GOP has gone too far
  with anti-tax 'religion'
• Three more likely votes on Capitol Hill for keeping
  all of Bush's tax cuts
• Democrat vs. Republican tax cut graphics
• Tax cuts, or hikes, for all
• Obama advisers say 'yes' to all tax cuts

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Comments

[Mrk]

If congress wants to show initiative start with cutting salaries 50-75%. When they are making, on average, 2-3 times more than what they would, with the same qualifications, through congress, than in the private sector something needs to be done. Cut all their salaries and show some real incentive that they care. That will never happen but it would be a start. Figure 535 in congress, making at least 174,000 just at 174,000 that is 100,000,000 A YEAR. No wonder they put so much effort into staying in. That is absurd

[Alan Adler]

I don't understand why The Congress and Senate received substantial pay raises, but SENIORS and DISABLED VETERAN'S haven't.
It's hard to comprehend why the cost of living for politicans has gone up, but the cost of living for our Seniors, and Disabled Veterans has'nt.
The young men and women who are Disabled
For Life whether Mentally, and, or Physically as a result of THE POLITICIAN'S
VOTING TO SEND THEM OFF TO WAR, AND OUR SENIORS HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RAISE IN BENIFITS FOR 2010, or 2011, but our POLITICANS HAVE!