Gabrielle Giffords' Office Urges Super Committee To Cut Lawmakers' Pay

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) may not be back in Congress yet, but her staff is leading a bipartisan effort to pressure the super committee to slash lawmakers' salaries as part of deficit reduction.

In a Thursday letter put together by Giffords' office, 25 lawmakers call on the 12-member super committee to "send a powerful message to the American people that Congress should not be exempt from the sacrifices it will take to balance the budget."

The letter notes that House and Senate lawmakers are paid $174,000 per year -- 3.4 times what the average American with a full-time job earns. A 5 percent cut, which Giffords proposed in January legislation, would save $50 million over 10 years. Adjustments to members' benefit packages, which can be worth 47 percent of salaries, could result in millions of dollars in additional savings.

Giffords filed her bill two days before she was shot in Tucson. The bill hasn't advanced since then.

"We are living in tough economic times," she said when she introduced the bill in January. "Everyone is being forced to make sacrifices. Members of Congress can't ask any American to cut back before we are willing to make some sacrifices of our own. I'm prepared to do that and I want my colleagues to join me."

Thursday's letter includes the signatures of 14 Democrats and 11 Republicans. It also comes just days before the super committee is charged with finding trillions of dollars in debt reduction through some combination of spending cuts and new revenues. If the panel fails to pass something by Nov. 23, about $1.2 trillion in spending cuts that nobody is particularly happy about will automatically take effect in 2013.

"Congresswoman Giffords strongly feels that members of Congress must lead by example as we tighten federal spending," Pia Carusone, Giffords' chief of staff, said in a statement.

Carusone said that while Giffords "remains totally focused on her recovery," she "also is engaged with her staff's work to advance the legislation and ideas she has proposed. This includes moving forward with the only bill she has been able to introduce this session -- instituting member pay cuts at a time of economic uncertainty and large deficits."

The super committee, still scrambling for a deal, is expected to meet over the weekend.

Comments

[pamelaworm]

06:12 PM on 11/23/2011

Nice bill to introduce. Especially when your very expensive health care bills are covered 100% and she is still getting her salary and benefits while not occupying her office. We should all have jobs like that. Way to go Gabby.

[wallinmark]

12:07 PM on 11/23/2011

Maybe this suppercommity should do janitor work till they are ready to work to gether and get the job done.:-D

[wallinmark]

12:01 PM on 11/23/2011

Why should these people make more than janitors when they do far less and refuse to work together to do the job. How much are they willing to go for their country? Supercommity my but.....

[vtrob77]

07:07 PM on 11/21/2011

Why do people always want to cut legislators pay making Congress more inaccessible for middle class individuals and more beholden to special interests and legislators. If anything, they're salary should be increased to make it feasible for a middle income person with a family to maintain 2 households, travel, and expenses associated with and not covered their official duties.

[skyleg]

11:24 PM on 11/21/2011

You must be watching Fox and believing fairy tales. Educate yourself!

[vtrob77]

02:12 AM on 11/22/2011

Actually I don't watch Fox, MSNBC, or CNN. I'm a CBC, BBC, Al Jazeera kind of guy. As far as educating myself, I'm not sure how much more educated I could get, unless I wanted a second Ph.D.

But I do know what it costs to live in D.C. and I do not think our representatives are paid enough to prevent them from being woo'd by lobbyists. I'd prefer complete governmental funding of elections too.

[yorktown1979]

11:25 AM on 11/20/2011

Michele Bachmann is a member of the House of Representatives, let's ask how she's voting on it! You know she's against it because the ONLY responsible Republican in Congress is Ron Paul! The rest are just out to line their pockets like Bachmann and all of her government subsidies (welfare for her corporate agriculture business).

[yorktown1979]

11:18 AM on 11/20/2011

Any Congressmen who do not vote for a reduction in their salaries and benefits, the same as what the rest of Americans have had to do should be recalled immediately and replaced with humans.

[Hoochie]

05:11 PM on 11/20/2011

And yet you won't vote for it. (H R 204 at govtrack.us) Only 37 Americans have voted to support the bill.

[beachinstead]

08:54 AM on 11/20/2011

please stay home it is for the better for you first of all, then the country!

[Kiffanik]

08:03 AM on 11/20/2011

What happened to "a full day's pay for a full day's work"? Regardless of "party", I think all can agree Congress doesn't do that much. A pay cut and term limits are definitely in order.

[pamelaworm]

06:13 PM on 11/23/2011

Absolutely.

[BETGR627]

06:32 PM on 11/19/2011

Even during Rep. Giffords recovery she has more guts and integrity and common sense than just about anyone else in Congress.

Keep up the great recovery - we need you back at Congress to kick some serious butt!

Republicans in Congress - if you listened to Rep. Giffords you might just learn something intelligent and fair.

[rosiebond007]

06:12 PM on 11/19/2011

It's the retirement bennies that kick in on their way out.

FULL PAY FOR LIFE - Healthcare - FULL PAY FOR LIFE.

When they leave office they should get a modified percentage only of benefits and healthcare.
They can SAVE and go on the street for Healthcare - just like we do !!

This is where they could cut exhorbitent waste - especially since they eat, drink and make merry while in office ..... notice I didn't mention 'work" !!

[aforbes808]

07:32 PM on 11/19/2011

Newt sold his insider access to members of congress for 37 million to the insurance and pharmaceutical industries when Medicare Part D was being debated. The United States cannot negotiate (like Costco/Wal-mart) the price it pays drug companies for prescription drugs under Medicare Part D.

[yorktown1979]

11:30 AM on 11/20/2011

Newt also left his wife when she was diagnosed with cancer for another woman. Wife #2 is so stupid she can't figure out that he would dump her too if she were to ever be diagnosed with cancer. I don't think this is the kind of "character" that I look for in a President. Anyone agree?

[vtrob77]

07:12 PM on 11/21/2011

This isn't true. Congress have the same retirement benefits as federal employees. If you look up the facts rather than regurgitate what you hear on the radio, you would know this.

There pensions are based on the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) if they began office after 1984. If they were in office before that time, it's based on the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). If they have CSRS service and then again Services under FERS, they can choose, FERS, CSRS, or CSRS Offset.

Regarding healthcare, they pay the same retirement rates for healthcare as other retired federal employees with the appropriate service.

It's also a myth they don't work. Most Congressional Members and their staff work longer hours than the average worker in the U.S.. Interestingly, female members of congress log longer work hours on average than their male colleagues.

[rosiebond007]

01:55 AM on 11/22/2011

Actually what happens in addition to large retirement pay, their wives get a handful of money from the taxpayer also - for life !! If you don't believe this you need to check it out !

[lmunoz]

05:44 PM on 11/19/2011

sorry but given the present circumnstances this is kind of a silly gesture, even a dangerous one since it implies that by lawmakers taking a small cut in pay this gives congress moral ground to cut benefits etc. I wish she was rather concentrating on real solutions, the money saved here would be irrelevant...
With her notoriety I wish she was spending her time and energy on creating jobs or fixing the financial industy, this is but a sideshow...

[traceymarie]

10:41 PM on 11/19/2011

lmao....a gesture would be appreciated and she is NOT the majority in congress that would be the bags who were elected on a jobs stance... they lied and are failing miserably

[lmunoz]

12:12 AM on 11/20/2011

I didnt say she is the majority, I dont understand your point. My point is that gestures dont create jobs, this is more of the "government should tighten its belt" slogan that usually precedes anounces for intended cuts in everything except military or "security" spending. Certainly the republicans are failing miserably but this doesnt do much in an of itself.

[Lila Wilson]

05:44 PM on 11/19/2011

I like this woman a whole lot more right now. I hope she continues to improve.

[wonderfullone]

05:03 PM on 11/19/2011

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is a courageous woman and is an inspiration to her constituents,-----She's right on target with her proposal to cut the salary of her fellow Reps.------------Even though it won't be a popular proposal, she is brave enough to stick to her convictions.-----------Kudos to Rep. G Giffords.

[OneQuestion99]

03:19 PM on 11/19/2011

Their pay is acceptable to me. Considering the job, I don't think $174K is too high. It is their pension that I am at odds with. End their pensions!!!!

[Hoochie]

03:58 PM on 11/19/2011

A lot of misconceptions have been spread around about their pension.

They do pay into social security.

Members of Congress receive retirement and health benefits under the same plans available to other federal employees. They become vested after five years of full participation.

Members of Congress are not eligible for a pension until they reach the age of 50, but only if they've completed 20 years of service. Members are eligible at any age after completing 25 years of service or after they reach the age of 62. Please also note that Members of Congress have to serve at least 5 years to even receive a pension.

The amount of a congressperson's pension depends on the years of service and the average of the highest 3 years of his or her salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member's retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary.

According to the Congressional Research Service, 413 retired Members of Congress were receiving federal pensions based fully or in part on their congressional service as of Oct. 1, 2006. Of this number, 290 had retired under CSRS and were receiving an average annual pension of $60,972. A total of 123 Members had retired with service under both CSRS and FERS or with service under FERS only. Their average annual pension was $35,952 in 2006.

[traceymarie]

10:43 PM on 11/19/2011

still to much and they don't deserve it.

[Hoochie]

03:59 PM on 11/19/2011

Sorry, meant to give you the link to the source of the above info - the US Congress Salaries and Benefits site.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/congresspay.htm

[JoanMeijer]

03:16 PM on 11/19/2011

Great idea - but as long as the Repugs are pledged to Grover Norquist and will not raise taxes on corporations and the rick it's just a drop in the bucket.