FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                              CONTACT: Joshua Gillespie
April 28, 2010                                                                                             (317) 848-0201

Rep. Burton Votes Against Congressional Pay Raise
Says “I believe we should have gone a step further and actually cut Member’s salaries”

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN-05) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives voted 402 to 15 to deny Members of Congress a cost of living adjustment for 2011:

“During these difficult economic times Hoosiers as well as the rest of America are tightening their belts to help make ends meet while Democrats in Washington go on a reckless spending spree.  While I applaud the House for voting to block next year’s cost of living adjustment for Members of Congress, I believe we should have gone a step further and actually cut Member’s salaries.   I have introduced legislation to do just that.  My bill, the “Congressional Pay Cut for Debt Reduction Act” (H.R. 4762) would cut the pay of Member’s of Congress by 10% and redirect those monies to reducing our national debt.  

“It’s our names on the door, we are the ones who cast the votes, so the buck rightly stops with us.  The first step in putting our Nation’s fiscal house in order is for Congress to put its own fiscal House in order.  We took the first half-step but we can and must do more; including, revoking the long standing rule that Congressional members get an automatic pay raise; and putting a permanent restrain on spending by enacting a balanced budget amendment as well as an amendment limiting  Federal spending to a certain percentage of GDP.” 

“It’s not enough to talk about fiscal restraint, we must also act, and so long as I am privileged to represent Hoosiers in the House of Representatives I will continue to fight Nancy Pelosi and her liberal leadership in Washington, who want to mortgage the futures of our kids and grandkids for the sake of short term political gains because this is a fight we cannot afford to lose.”

Background:

During the 111th, Rep. Burton has sponsored or co-sponsored legislation that would prevent members of Congress from receiving their automatic cost of living adjustment and is a co-sponsor of H.J. Res. 79, which is an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to control spending.

Additional Legislation:

H.R.4762: To reduce the pay of Members of Congress and dedicate the annual savings to a reduction of the national debt.

H.J.RES.1: Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

H.J.RES.73: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to balance the Federal budget.

H.J.RES.75: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to balance the Federal budget.

H.R.377: To make 2 percent across-the-board rescissions in non-defense, non-homeland-security discretionary spending for fiscal year 2009.

H.R.378: To make 1 percent across-the-board rescissions in non-defense, non-homeland-security discretionary spending for fiscal year 2009.

H.R.381: To make 5 percent across-the-board rescissions in non-defense, non-homeland-security discretionary spending for fiscal year 2009.

H.R.393: To provide for the periodic review of the efficiency and public need for Federal agencies, to establish a Commission for the purpose of reviewing the efficiency and public need of such agencies, and to provide for the abolishment of agencies for which a public need does not exist.

H.R.1802: To establish a commission to conduct a comprehensive review of Federal agencies and programs and to recommend the elimination or realignment of duplicative, wasteful, or outdated functions, and for other purposes.

H.R.2063: To amend the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to use repaid Troubled Asset Relief Program funds to pay down the public debt, and for other purposes.

H.R.3140: To rescind unobligated appropriations and repeal certain provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 [Stimulus], and for other purposes.

H.R.4262: To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require a two-thirds recorded vote in the House of Representatives and in the Senate to increase the statutory limit on the public debt, and for other purposes.

H.R.4408: To amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to eliminate automatic increases for inflation from CBO baseline projections for discretionary appropriations, and for other purposes.

Co-Signed Letters:
December 9, 2009 – Letter to Speaker Pelosi urging her not to use TARP funds for so-called job creation initiatives but to use the funds as intended (and called for in the law) for debt relief and deficit reduction.

December 15, 2009 – Letter to President Obama urging him to oppose using TARP for so-called economic stimulus proposals.
February 1, 2010 – Letter to the House Budget Committee urging them to include freezes and spending cuts in their FY 11 Budget resolution.
 
February 2010 – Letter to President Obama urging him to enforce his proposed spending freeze with vetoes.

 

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An issue that has been a concern to many of our constituents, especially in these difficult economic times, has been the automatic pay raises that Congressmen get every fiscal year.  Congressman Burton has been a leader on this issue fighting against the automatic pay raise and last year introduced H.R. 395, the "Stop the Congressional COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) Act".

Recently, Congressman Burton also signed onto H.R. 4255 "Stop the Automatic Pay Raise for Members of Congress in Fiscal Year 2011 Act".

 

STOP THE AUTOMATIC PAY RAISE FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN FY2011

From: The Honorable Harry E. Mitchell

Bill: H.R. 4255

Date: 1/7/2010

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS DOESN’T WANT A PAY RAISE FOR FEDERAL JUDGES 

CONGRESS SHOULDN’T RAISE ITS PAY EITHER

 

STOP THE AUTOMATIC PAY RAISE FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN FY2011

 

Cosponsors include: 

Reps. John Adler (D-NJ), Rodney Alexander (R-LA), Jason Altmire (D-PA), Michael Arcuri (D-NY),Steve Austria (R-OH), John Barrow (D-GA), Roscoe Bartlett (R, MD),  Judy Biggert (R-IL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN),Bobby Bright (D-AL), Michael C. Burgess (R-TX), Dan Burton (R-IN), Russ Carnahan (D-MO),Travis Childers (D-MS), Howard Coble (R-NC), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Kathleen A. Dahlkemper (D-PA),Joe Donnelly (D-IN),Steve Driehaus (D-OH),Brad Ellsworth (D-IN),John Fleming (R-LA), Bill Foster (D-IL),Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ),Sam Graves (R, MO),Parker Griffith (D-AL), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), John Hall (D-NY),Debbie Halvorson (D-IL),Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Baron Hill (D-IN),Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), Tim Johnson (R-IL), Steve Kagen (D-WI), Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH), Ron Kind (D-WI),  Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), Suzanne M. Kosmas (D-FL), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ),David Loebsack (D-IA), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO),Betsy Markey (D-CO), Eric Massa (D-NY), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Jerry McNerney (D-CA),John L. Mica (R-FL), Mike Michaud (D-ME), Walt Minnick (D-ID),  Dennis Moore (D-KS), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Patrick Murphy (D-PA),Scott Murphy (D-NY), Sue Myrick (R-NC), Glenn Nye (D-VA), Pete Olson (R-TX), Gary Peters (D-MI), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Tom Perriello (D-VA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Todd Russell Platts (R-PA), Jared Polis (D-CO),Mike Quigley (D-IL),Tom Rooney (R-FL), Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH),John Shimkus, (R-IL), Harry Teague (D-NM), Zach Wamp (R-TN), Robert Wittman (R-VA)

 

Dear Colleague:

Last week, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts announced that, in a major break from tradition, and in light of the fact that “so many of our fellow citizens have been touched by hardship,” he will not seek a salary increases this year for the federal judges.  [Source: Washington Post, January 1, 2010]

 

Congress should follow suit. 

 

With unemployment high and so many families struggling to make ends meet, we believe this is the wrong time for Congress to raise its own pay.  However, this will happen in FY2011 unless Congress takes action to stop it.

 

Earlier this year, we were joined by more than 100 cosponsors in introducing H.R. 156, the Stop the Congressional Pay Raise Act for FY2010.

 

Our efforts proved successful.  The FY2010 automatic pay raise for members of Congress was ultimately stopped.

 

We believe that Members of Congress should act now to stop the next automatic pay increase from taking effect in FY2011.  That is why we have introduced H.R. 4255, the Stop the Automatic Pay Raise for Members of Congress in FY2011 Act.

 

We urge you to cosponsor this legislation. 

 

Sincerely,

Harry E. Mitchell                                                                Ron Paul    

 

Member of Congress                                                         Member of Congress