Lawmaker Pushes Congress to Take 5 Percent Pay Cut

With approval ratings south of 20 percent, Congress isn't exactly acing its performance review -- and one congresswoman thinks it's time the American people started docking members' pay.

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., last week introduced a bill to cut pay for members of Congress by 5 percent. She said it hasn't made her the most popular person in the House of Representatives, but it's starting to gain bipartisan support.

"I'll tell you, there is nothing like asking the people you work with to take a cut in pay and see the concern on their faces," Kirkpatrick told Fox News on Monday.

5%!? You expect Americans to gain more respect for you if you cut your pay only 5%!? Try cutting it 500%, yeah I mean 500%! That means they pay 400% of their income back to us for this year. That would make us happy!

www.foxnews.com...

i say that they take a salary that is just under the average american income. make it less glamourous so that the people who SERVE our nation are doing it because the want to serve our nation, not because they want to get paid or for power.

AND make their pay increase/decrease based upon the countries economic health. if our economy decreases, so does their pay. that would be more incentive to make for a healthy economy, and would help keep the rats outta the cereal box so to speak.

5% paycut would not put them on par with the 20% of Americans that have had to settle for a serious reduction in pay over the past 18-24 months.

But in the interest of being fair, because I am all about being fair. How about we set the wages of all elected offices to Federal Minimum Wage. They want/need a raise, then the impoverished get a raise. Very simple and very effective. It would also show which ones were honest politicians and which were getting the old payola to make things happen. Because a person making minimum wage can not afford to make "investments in the market" to become multi-millionaires in two years time.

Congress could take a 50% pay cut and still make more than the average income of their constituents!

Originally posted by AnonymousMoose
Congress could take a 50% pay cut and still make more than the average income of their constituents!

The current salary (2010) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year.

Source

The Hill newspaper quotes census data to conclude that Virginia's 11th district is the wealthiest congressional district in the nation. The article attributes the wealth to the many lobbyists and two-career couples in Northern Virginia.

Emphasis mine.
Median income for Virginia's 11th district: $80,397 Source

So yes, congress can take a 50% paycut and still make more than their constituents.

A more authorative breakdown on congressional pay and benefits I gave is here.

Rather interesting quote:

Since 1990, congressional pay has increased from $98,400 to $154,700 in 2003.

Nothing like a 50% pay raise over 13 years, eh? Makes me wonder why more people don't run for congress...it's like winning the lottery.