David Vitter Blocks Ken Salazar Pay Raise In Oil Drilling Battle

WASHINGTON — Democrats are crying foul after a GOP senator blocked a pay raise for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in an effort to pressure him into approving more deepwater oil and gas drilling permits.

At issue is a move by oil state Sen. David Vitter, R-La., to not only block the almost $20,000 raise for Salazar last week but then offer to allow the raise to go forward if the Interior Department issues six new deepwater permits a month.

Salazar responded with a letter accusing Vitter of employing strong-arm tactics and of trying to coerce him into approving new drilling permits in order to get the raise.

Salazar said Vitter's move amounted to "attempted coercion of public acts here at the Department" and asked that efforts to give him a pay raise be halted.

Salazar's pay is lower than other Cabinet members because of an obscure constitutional requirement that blocks lawmakers who move to the executive branch from claiming pay raises they've voted on while in Congress.

Vitter blocked legislation last week to fix the disparity, saying he was keeping the "boot on the neck" of the department.

"It is wrong for Sen. Vitter to try to get something in return for moving forward on a matter that the Senate has considered routine for more than a century," Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement. Democrats suggested Vitter was skating close to federal bribery laws that make it a crime to promise "anything of value ... to influence any official act."

Vitter's not backing down.

"I'm glad the secretary has dropped his push for a pay raise," Vitter said. "It was truly offensive to Gulf energy workers who are struggling under his policies. Now I hope he starts earning what he already makes and properly issues new permits for much needed drilling in the Gulf."

Comments

[Chuck134]

02:32 PM on 05/25/2011

I believe the Justice Department should be filing Bribery charges for attempting to bribe a Government official.

[twsm1th]

01:47 PM on 05/25/2011

How is this any different from what Gov. Blogovich is accused of doing?

[brrrrk]

02:09 PM on 05/25/2011

Seriously, when have you seen anyone on the left defending Blogo? That might be what Fox is telling you, but it just ain't happenin'.

But having said that, the right is using blackmail tactics to hold back funding to the victims of a tornado, to a town that lost over 120 some odd people and counting... C'mon dude, that just ain't right! I don't care what side you're on.

[kevinw]

03:07 PM on 06/22/2011

They don't have a letter from Blogovich spelling out the quid pro quo of the bribery. Vitter wrote that if Salazar would provide 6 deep water permits per month (Quid), Vitter would take his hold off of the bill to raise Salazar's pay by 20,000 (QUO). The only thing that would make the prosecution easier would be a straight out confession.

[myke3000]

01:11 PM on 05/25/2011

How is Vitter still in office? And HOW MUCH POWER do the oil industry and lobbyists seem to have over our country? It is the Oil Industrial Complex, which I would argue is stronger than any military industrial complex!

They want drilling permits, they want subsidies, they want to be the only game in town (no wind, no solar, no electric vehicles, no natural gas competition)...and they get it.

[brrrrk]

12:47 PM on 05/25/2011

Political blackmail, pure and simple. What's worse is that they used the same tactics in approving aid to the victims of Joplin. Course, what would you expect from a party who gives a man like Vitter a standing ovation after he was caught in the DC Madam scandal.