The Congressional Pay Adjustment Act would reduce member pay by 20 percent—the level of pay the last time Congress balanced the budget.

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins introduced the Congressional Pay Adjustment Act in the U.S. House this week. This bill seeks to address Washington’s poor fiscal record and encourage members of Congress to get serious about balancing the budget. The bill also goes a step farther than other Congressional pay proposals by restricting member pay to 2000 levels, the last time Congress balanced the budget.

“Congress has not balanced the budget in more than a decade, and since then, Washington added $10 trillion to the national debt. While our national debt grew larger, so did paychecks for members of Congress. This bill would reduce member pay by 20 percent and prohibit future automatic pay increases in any year the United States runs a budget deficit.

“Congress is obligated to responsibly allocate taxpayer dollars, but Washington continues to fail the American people by repeatedly spending money we do not have. Members of Congress should not be rewarded for continuing to rack up red ink. When companies report a loss, they do not give their employees a raise. It should be the same for Congress. I hope this piece of legislation will bring both accountability and fiscal responsibility back to Washington.”

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