House Members' Pay Increase Is Postponed

When Democrats blasted Republicans last fall for taking annual congressional pay raises while blocking numerous attempts to raise the minimum wage, it was an effective campaign tactic. Democrats vowed not to accept the annual cost-of-living adjustment until Congress increases the minimum wage.

But Republicans angered over the political attacks are unwilling to allow Democrats to reinstate the members' COLA, forcing Democratic leaders to scuttle the 1.7 percent pay increase for the entire year.

"There will be no COLA adjustment," a disappointed House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), the chamber's No. 2 Democrat, said yesterday.

Lawmakers' pay will be frozen at $165,200 for this year in the dispute, in which Democrats violated a years-long understanding that the competing parties would not use the pay-raise issue in campaign ads.

Under the annual COLA, lawmakers automatically get a pay raise unless Congress votes to block it. The issue is ripe because a GOP-drafted stopgap spending bill carrying language delaying the pay increase expires Feb. 15 -- and lawmakers would automatically start receiving their raises the next day.

A huge spending bill for the current budget year is moving through the House today, and Democrats tried in recent days to reach agreement with Republicans on language to delay the pay raise a few more weeks or months to provide more time for the minimum-wage bill to advance into law.

Republicans said no.

"The DCCC ran their own ads attacking [GOP] members on this," said House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).

Members were originally to begin receiving an annual increase of 1.7 percent, or $2,800, on Jan. 1. They had already lost about $320 with the delay to Feb. 16.

-- Associated Press