Senate panel approves lawmaker pay freeze
6/19/2014WASHINGTON — A Senate committee has voted to deny lawmakers the cost-of-living pay raise they would otherwise get automatically in January.
The move by the Appropriations Committee would freeze congressional salaries at $174,000 a year. It’s part of a bill to fund Congress’ budget, which cleared the panel by a voice vote. The committee followed the House in voting to deny the raise.
Lawmakers haven’t gotten a pay increase since January 2009.
Bipartisan reforms in 1989 gave lawmakers a big pay increase in exchange for dropping the much-criticized practice of accepting money from outside interest groups for speeches.
That legislation also gave lawmakers annual cost-of-living pay increases, but lawmakers have often voted to deny themselves the pay hikes.