Today, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, as part of her ongoing effort to clean up the way Congress does business, has introduced legislation to prevent Congress from getting an automatic pay raise each year. This legislation, which comes in conjunction with her efforts to end the often-abused practice of secret holds, is part of a larger initiative to bring common-sense Missouri solutions to the way Washington does business.
Today’s legislation, which mirrors legislation that was previously introduced by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) during the last Congress, would end the annual cost-of-living adjustment provided to members of Congress, which results in an automatic pay raise each year. The bill is currently co-sponsored by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and a number of other senators.
“In this economy, Americans across the country are out of work and those who are working are certainly not receiving annual raises,” McCaskill said. “There’s no reason Congress should be getting a pay raise each year. We hear a lot of talk about cutting back, and the automatic pay raises should be the first item on the chopping block.”
Congress passed individual bills, co-sponsored by McCaskill, to eliminate the pay raise for 2010 and 2011. However, those bills did not permanently remove the automatic pay raise as would be the case under the legislation introduced today.
Since arriving in Washington, McCaskill has worked to rein in federal spending and consistently voted against pay increases for members of Congress. This bill is a part of a larger effort by McCaskill to clean up the way the Senate operates, including her fight to prohibit senators from being able to hold legislation or nominations anonymously and her ongoing campaign to end earmarks.
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