Posted on 05/19/2015 10:32:31 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
Most members of Congress make $174,000 a year. Two senior House Democrats say lawmakers deserve a raise.
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters on Tuesday that he’s concerned that static congressional salaries — the pay level has remained the same since 2009 — will dissuade all but the uber-wealthy from serving in Congress.
“This will be the seventh year in a row that we have not done a cost-of-living adjustment….I think it was appropriate at the time of the recession,” Hoyer said. “But to continue that on, we will dictate that the only people who can serve are the rich and I don’t think that’s what the Founding Fathers had in mind.”
Hoyer also raised the concern at a Democratic caucus meeting Tuesday morning, saying he planned to speak with Speaker John Boehner about unfreezing cost-of-living increases for members of Congress, according to sources in attendance. Hoyer, whose suburban Washington district includes many federal workers, is also concerned about small or non-existent cost-of-living-increases for many federal employees.
While most members avoid complaining about their $174,000-a-year salary to avoid looking politically aloof, Hoyer is not alone in arguing that lawmakers need cost-of-living raises just like private-sector employees.
Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) also pushed this week for bigger paychecks for members, arguing that the salary doesn’t cover the cost of maintaining two homes, one in D.C. and another back home.
“Members deserve to be paid, staff deserves to be paid and the cost of living here is causing serious problems for people who are not wealthy to serve in this institution,” the Florida Democrat said at a Rules Committee meeting.
Former Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia, a Democrat, also championed pay increases for members before he left Congress last year.
Steny Hoyer is the type of “Man” who I would like to “raise” by kicking him square in the NUTS!
Professional politicians.
Why...all they do is travel collecting donations and then pass whatever Obama says pass.
Congress could be replaced by an group email address.
Raises should be tied to increases in 1) the national GNP, 2)the the after-tax medium household income, and 3) inversely to the National Debt.
You want to strike trade deals offshoring our industries to China, you take less raise. (And you should not be allowed to own foreign stock as a congressman.)
If growth only comes from inflation. Fine your raise will keep up with inflation but won’t exceed it.
If you want to flood the country with low wage immigrants, then you take a hit in your raise as medium income falls.
If you give us tax breaks you get a raise.
If you fund the government with debt, you lose some of your raise.
You want to tax us more? If you are successful, you take a hit too.
You want to tax us less?
Well that’s rich isn’t it? Two of the most corrupt quislings Hastings and Hoyer want a raise.
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Now shut up, ya a-hole.
Since both houses of Congress have given themselves insider trading access why should we even pay them at all? Maybe a DC political position to include aids should be a strictly voluntary service to the country.
Hoyer is set to make $174,000 this year, which puts him in the top 6% of individual income earners in this country. So please, STFU Hoyer.
I say pay these guys all $1 Million per year. Then every time they speak publically about anythng, or cast a vote, they get docked $ 100,000.
They deserve to be Fired and sent home without any retirement pay.
When I want Steny Hoyer’s opinion,I’ll backhand it out of his lying mouth...
And the money they get after their term? they get high paying jobs based solely on their connections.
I make the exact opposite argument:
Congressmen and Senators should be paid exactly the same as what they were paid when they were first elected to office. If they want to pass a pay raise, fine, but it will go into effect for the one who succeeds them.
This is a beautiful way to term-limit the bastiges.
How about cutting their workload to only 4 months a year, and let them GET A REAL JOB
Really?? What they really need is a pink slip!
If the Constitution is amended, I think that patriots should consider an amendment that requires members of Congress to be paid from the revenues of their respectives states instead of from federal revenues. This would hopefully give Congress incentive not to steal state revenues through unconstitutional federal taxes.
Hoyer deserves to have me break my foot off in his ass.
Just sayin’...
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