Senate refuses direct vote on pay hike

On November 13, by a vote of 58 to 36, the Senate tabled (killed) and thus refused to vote directly on an amendment to the Homeland Security Act (HR 5005) sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold (D.-Wis.) that would have prevented members of Congress from receiving an automatic cost of living adjustment during fiscal year 2003. A vote on the tabling motion, however, is considered by most congressional observers to be tantamount to a vote on the amendment. The House had also maneuvered to avoid a direct vote on the pay raise, just letting it go through in July as part of a large appropriation bill.

Feingold described the pay raise as a "stealth maneuver" because the 3% pay increase goes into effect automatically unless Congress votes to block it.

The amendment would have blocked members of Congress from receiving an automatic $5,000 pay increase in January, which will increase their annual salary to $154,700. Feingold opposed the pay increase. "Put simply, this is the wrong time for Congress to give itself a pay hike. Our economy is still recovering from the recent slowdown."

He argued that it was wrong for members to give themselves another raise considering that, "as of this coming January, members will have received four consecutive pay hikes totaling $18,000--$18,ooo$18,000 per year. That is more than the average annual Social Security benef it for a retired worker and spouse. it is more than the average annual Social Security benefit for a disabled worker, spouse, and child. It is more than someone working minimum wage can make in a year and a half."

Feingold also questioned the constitutionality of Congress's being able to increase its own salary at this time. "This automatic, stealth pay raise system is absolutely wrong. it is an unusual thing to have the power to raise our own pay," said Feingold. "That is why this process of pay raises without accountability must end. it is offensive. It is wrong. And I believe it may be unconstitutional. The 27th Amendment to the Constitution states: `No law, varying the compenation for the services of the senators and representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened."'

Feingold said that "even those who favor a pay hike should support voting for it on the record. Certainly, having an open and public vote on the record for a pay hike is better than the stealth pay raise that takes place with no action. Standing up and making the case before the public is far better than quietly letting the pay raise take effect."

Feingold's amendment was tabled without much discussion, effectively giving the Senate a big pay increase.

A "yes" vote was a vote to table (kill) the Feingold amendment and was, in effect, a vote for an automatic $5,000 congressional pay raise in January. A "no" vote was a vote against the motion to table (kill) the amendment and was, in effect, a vote to require a Senate rollcall on the congressional pay raise.

FOR THE MOTION TO TABLE: 58

REPUBLICANS FOR (30): Allen, Bennett, Bond, Burns, Campbell, Chafee, Cochran, Crapo, Domenici, Enzi, Frist, Gramm (Tex.), Gregg, Hagel, Hatch, Inhofe, Kyl, Lott, Lugar, McConnell, Murkowski, Nickles, Santorum, Shelby, Stevens, Thomas, Thompson. Thurmond, Voinovich and Warner.

DEMOCRATS FOR (26): Akaka, Biden, Bingaman, Boxer, Breaux, Byrd, Cantwell, Career, Conrad, Daschle, Dayton, Dodd, Durbin, Feinstein, Graham (Fla.), Hollings, Inouye, Kohl, Levin, Lieberman, Mikulski, Nelson, Reed (R.1.), Reid (Nev.), Rockefeller and Sarbanes.

INDEPENDENT FOR (2): Barkley and Jeffords.

AGAINST THE MOTION TO TABLE: 36

REPUBLICANS AGAINST (17): Allard, Brownback, Bunning, Collins, DeWine, Ensign, Fitzgerald, Grassley, Hutchinson (Ariz.), Hutchison (Tex), McCain, Roberts, Sessions, Smith (N.H.), Smith (Ore), Snowe and Specter.

DEMOCRATS AGAINST (19): Baucus, Bayh, Cleland, Clinton, Corzine, Dorgan, Edwards, Feingold. Johnson, Kerry, Landrieu, Leahy, Lincoln, Miller, Murray, Nelson. Schumer, Stabenow and Wyden.

NOT VOTING (6): Craig, Carnahan, Harkin, Helms, Kennedy and Torricelli.