A taxpayer watchdog group is expressing outrage that lawmakers on Capitol Hill are getting a pay raise, while many Americans are struggling to hold down a job due to the troubled U.S. economy.
Members of Congress will be receiving a $4,700 pay increase this year, even though more than two million of their constituents have lost their jobs. Congress has set up a structure where they automatically receive a cost-of-living adjustment or pay raise every year unless they act to stop it. Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, says the pay raise sends a poor message. "It really flies in the face of any concept of shared sacrifice or recognition by the members of Congress of the challenges that everyday Americans are facing," he contends. Lawmakers, Ellis notes, would be wise to put a freeze on their salary until the unemployment rate drops. Results from our related pollDo you have a problem with Congress accepting anautomatic pay raise during the current ecomonic crisis?
Members of Congress will be receiving a $4,700 pay increase this year, even though more than two million of their constituents have lost their jobs. Congress has set up a structure where they automatically receive a cost-of-living adjustment or pay raise every year unless they act to stop it. Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, says the pay raise sends a poor message. "It really flies in the face of any concept of shared sacrifice or recognition by the members of Congress of the challenges that everyday Americans are facing," he contends. Lawmakers, Ellis notes, would be wise to put a freeze on their salary until the unemployment rate drops.
Results from our related poll
Do you have a problem with Congress accepting an
automatic pay raise during the current ecomonic crisis?
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