Republicans Block House Pay Raise

WASHINGTON -- House Democratic leaders Monday abandoned attempts to revive an annual pay raise cherished by rank and file lawmakers, a decision prompted by lingering GOP anger over last year's campaign.

Lawmakers' pay will be frozen at $165,200 for this year in a dispute fueled by the Democrats' use of the issue in last year's campaign, violating a yearslong understanding that the competing parties would not attack each other over pay raises.

At issue is the annual congressional cost of living adjustment, or COLA, under which lawmakers automatically get a pay hike unless Congress votes to block it. Democratic and Republican leaders had worked cozily for years to make sure an annual pay-related vote went smoothly.

Under the agreement, the annual vote came on an obscure procedural move _ instead of a direct up-or-down vote _ and the Democratic and GOP whips each delivered a roughly equal number of votes to shut off any move to block the pay hike.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/29/AR2007012901739.html

This sounds like a BS "gentleman's agreement" to begin with. I don't think a raise for those congresscritters should even be considered for at least another 10 years.

535 salaries don't really make or break anyone.

The Democrats should have moved to block the automatic pay increase on the grounds that the Republicans killed the minimum wage hike.

we don't have to fight this BS every few years, and MAYBE they can have their COLA increase too.

I recognize $167,000 is a LOT of money, and most of them are millionairs anyway so they don't need it, but I also believe that nobody wants to work a long time without any raises at all.

They only deserve a fraction of what they get. They don't do a Goddamn thing.

They should be making no more than teachers, police officers, or firefighters.

unless the poorest workers also get an increase.

such as hikes in energy, etc., there should be no congressional pay raises. Many of us have seen the buying power of our wages shrink the past several years - what's good for the goose... and all that.

Believe me, congressbeings, I've experienced so many violations of years-long understandings about how my country's constitutional government is supposed to work, all I can say to you is: embrace the suck.
:mad: