Republican Congress gives itself a pay raise

Despite a valiant effort by U.S. Congressman Jim Matheson (D-Utah), our Republican Congress. Matheson has waged a lonely battle every year to rescind the automatic pay raises that Congress has given to themselves. A member of the Blue Dog Democratic caucus and a champion of fiscal conservatism, Matheson has forced members to go on record on the Congressional pay raise which probably has endeared him to many colleagues. Matheson stubbornly refuses to accept the pay raise instead giving it away to charities in his Salt Lake City area district.

Matheson told the Salt Lake Tribune that reducing the federal debt and funding education, health care and the war on terror are among the vital priorities that should take priority over a Congressional pay increase. “We need to be willing to make sacrifices,” Matheson said in a floor speech. “We need to behave like American families who make tough choices every day. We need to budget, live within our means and make careful spending decisions based on our most pressing priorities.” The U.S. House voted 263 to 152 to block a procedural move to get a direct vote on the pay raise.