Washington, D.C. – Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-13), who authored legislation to block congressional pay raises until Congress balances the budget, voted today for a separate bill to prevent an automatic cost of living pay adjustment for Members of Congress in Fiscal Year 2011.

“Families across the country are struggling to balance their budgets, Congress needs to live under the same rules and lead by example,” said Buchanan. “How can we justify giving members of Congress a pay raise if they don’t have the discipline necessary to balance the budget and reduce the debt?”

Buchanan has donated all previous pay raises to charity.

Buchanan urged lawmakers to support the “No Balanced Budget, No Raise Act” he introduced in 2009 to prevent a congressional pay raise in any fiscal year that Congress runs a deficit.

The first bill Buchanan introduced in 2007 would amend the U.S. Constitution to require a balanced budget. The Buchanan Balanced Budget Amendment would have held spending increases to five percent and balance the budget by 2012.