(C) Common Dreams
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House GOP anti-spending fervor may not apply to member pay raise [1]
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Date: 2023-07-13
House Republicans would give lawmakers their first pay increase in nearly 15 years under a spending bill for the upcoming fiscal year that the Appropriations Committee approved last month.
The move comes as House Republicans pursue cuts to most federal agencies and programs, sparing only defense, veterans and border security. Lawmakers last received a cost-of-living increase in 2009, but House Republicans left out the traditional language blocking a cost-of-living increase for members from this year’s Legislative Branch bill.
If the provision is not added back during the appropriations process, members would stand to receive a 4.6 percent, or $8,000, pay increase, according to the Congressional Research Service. Most lawmakers — with the exception of certain leadership positions — currently make $174,000, the level salaries have been frozen at since the Great Recession.
House Legislative Branch Appropriations Chairman Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said Wednesday that the debate over whether members should get the pay increase is ongoing, and there are “a lot of strong feelings on both sides.”
But he said he thought after such a long time without an increase, allowing members to receive the cost-of-living adjustment would be good policy.
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[1] Url:
https://rollcall.com/2023/07/13/house-gop-anti-spending-fervor-may-not-apply-to-member-pay-raise/
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