Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today criticized the House of Representatives for voting to raise its own pay by $3,300.  The House yesterday voted 249 to 167 to reject a procedural attempt to get a direct vote on pay, which is scheduled for an automatic 2 percent increase.  Unless changed by the Senate, rank-and-file members of Congress will make $168,500 starting in January 2007.

Congress amended the law in 1989 to allow for automatic “cost of living” increases every year unless there is a specific vote to cancel it.  This marks the sixth straight year that Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) was defeated in his attempt to seek a separate up-or-down vote on the pay hike, which is an obscure part of the annual appropriations bill for the Departments of Transportation/Treasury/HUD/Judiciary/District of Columbia.  Last year, Rep. Matheson introduced a bipartisan bill (H.R. 4494) that would eliminate the automatic pay increase.  

“Serving in Congress is the only job in the country where you can set your own salary without regard to performance or fiscal constraints,” CCAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “It is shameful that Rep. Matheson was the only member to speak on the pay hike.  In an era of bitter political division, there is one position that members of both parties rally behind:  fattening their paychecks at the expense of taxpayers.”

Financial disclosure forms show that members of Congress are hardly impoverished.  In addition to their salary, members benefit from perks that include free outpatient care at certain hospitals, frequent-flyer miles from government travel, free meals and vacations from lobbyists and business groups, access to first-class gyms and tennis courts, taxpayer-subsidized life and health insurance; and a special pension program.  The benefits of lawmaking extend beyond time in office; nearly half of former lawmakers who are eligible move on to lucrative careers in the lobbying industry.

In 2004, the Pennsylvania state legislature approved pay increases of up to 54 percent for elected officials in all three branches of government.  Although the pay increase was repealed, the move sparked a grassroots revolt that toppled 12 incumbents in Republican primaries. 

“Lavish salaries and perks for politicians help make the average taxpayer’s life a financial struggle.  Despite the $8.4 trillion national debt and the dismal approval ratings for Congress, members themselves think they are doing a terrific job!  Maybe voters will offer a different assessment in November,” Schatz concluded. 

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.