There was good news and bad news regarding congressional pay raises Tuesday.
First the good news: Members of the U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to deny themselves a pay raise next January. So, like a number of hard-working Americans, their wages will be frozen this year. Of course, unlike a lot of Americans, U.S. senators make $174,000.
It was the right decision, of course, but it would be wrong to say it was a difficult one. Given the economic and political climates, lawmakers knew that allowing themselves to take a pay raise this year would have drawn considerable public ire. It's unfortunate that Wisconsin lawmakers couldn't see things as clearly.
But before U.S. senators are given too much credit, here's the bad news: They voted Tuesday to keep automatic cost-of-living raises in effect for future years.
In typical, dizzying Washington fashion, it was the "Ethics Reform Act" in 1989 that made it possible for Congress to receive annual pay increases without a vote. Congress can vote to reject the raises, which it did Tuesday for the second time since 1989. The other year was 2007.
Going back to those hard-working Americans, again, most don't receive automatic pay increases. Union members do, but that's another story. And even those ultimately get put to a vote somewhere. But most workers have their pay increases tied to individual and company performance and determined each year.
Not Congress. Those pay raises remain automatic.
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who usually ends up on the right side of these kinds of issues, was rightfully upset with the Senate's vote Tuesday.
"It is fundamentally wrong for members of Congress to give themselves an automatic pay raise without a vote or public debate," Feingold said, "and that's why I have been working for years to end this flawed system. Automatic pay raises for members of Congress are never appropriate, but now, in the face of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, they are truly outrageous."
Feingold vowed to continue the fight. It would be nice if he could get his Democratic colleagues to go along. He could start with fellow Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl.
The vote was 52-45 against requiring a vote for pay raises. Of the 45 Senators who wanted to end the automatic raises, only 10 were Democrats. Sen. Kohl was not one of them. There were 35 Republican senators voting against the automatic increases.
It's hard to put much faith in the Democratic-controlled Congress' ability to play a constructive role in fixing our economy when they can't even support putting their own pay raises to a vote.
First the good news: Members of the U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to deny themselves a pay raise next January. So, like a number of hard-working Americans, their wages will be frozen this year. Of course, unlike a lot of Americans, U.S. senators make $174,000.
It was the right decision, of course, but it would be wrong to say it was a difficult one. Given the economic and political climates, lawmakers knew that allowing themselves to take a pay raise this year would have drawn considerable public ire. It's unfortunate that Wisconsin lawmakers couldn't see things as clearly.
But before U.S. senators are given too much credit, here's the bad news: They voted Tuesday to keep automatic cost-of-living raises in effect for future years.
In typical, dizzying Washington fashion, it was the "Ethics Reform Act" in 1989 that made it possible for Congress to receive annual pay increases without a vote. Congress can vote to reject the raises, which it did Tuesday for the second time since 1989. The other year was 2007.
Going back to those hard-working Americans, again, most don't receive automatic pay increases. Union members do, but that's another story. And even those ultimately get put to a vote somewhere. But most workers have their pay increases tied to individual and company performance and determined each year.
Not Congress. Those pay raises remain automatic.
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who usually ends up on the right side of these kinds of issues, was rightfully upset with the Senate's vote Tuesday.
"It is fundamentally wrong for members of Congress to give themselves an automatic pay raise without a vote or public debate," Feingold said, "and that's why I have been working for years to end this flawed system. Automatic pay raises for members of Congress are never appropriate, but now, in the face of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, they are truly outrageous."
Feingold vowed to continue the fight. It would be nice if he could get his Democratic colleagues to go along. He could start with fellow Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl.
The vote was 52-45 against requiring a vote for pay raises. Of the 45 Senators who wanted to end the automatic raises, only 10 were Democrats. Sen. Kohl was not one of them. There were 35 Republican senators voting against the automatic increases.
It's hard to put much faith in the Democratic-controlled Congress' ability to play a constructive role in fixing our economy when they can't even support putting their own pay raises to a vote.
