(D) Claire McCaskill: Here is info on my bill to cut Congressional pay during sequester.

[Fire Walk With Me]

Claire McCaskill ?@clairecmc

Here is info on my bill to cut Congressional pay during sequester. http://1.usa.gov/Z3lloA

http://mccaskill.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=1824

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Bill Nelson will introduce legislation that would cut pay for members of Congress if federal employees are furloughed due to the sequester. The legislation calls for a reduction in Congressional salaries once federal furloughs begin.

"The federal workforce is looking at furloughs that would result in a sizeable pay cut-and there's absolutely no reason members of Congress should exempt themselves," McCaskill said. "We can and should reach a balanced compromise to replace these damaging across-the-board cuts, but until we do, this is an obvious step to hold Congress accountable for the job we need to get done."

The pending cuts are a result of the sequestration requirement Congress passed following debt-ceiling negotiations in 2011. The 2011 legislation required Congress to produce a bill with $1.2 trillion in deficit savings by this time or face across-the-board cuts -- via sequestration -- evenly divided between defense and non-defense spending. Sequestration was designed to be so unpopular that it would force Congress to compromise and replace it with a more sensible deficit reduction approach. But Congress has failed to pass a replacement. In the coming months, the first year of sequestration will begin. As a result of the cuts, many federal workers are expected to be subject to furloughs.

McCaskill has successfully prevented several individual yearly pay raises since arriving in the Senate, the most recent in March of 2012. Members of Congress have not received a pay raise since 2009.


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[rsmith6621]

1. Here Is My Proposal as Written In My Local Paper...

http://cc4federalway.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/what-if-sequestration-was-up-to-you-and-i/

Claire doesnt say how much of a cut.

[Andy823]

5. +100,000,000,000...

I couldn't agree more. If they want everyone else to suffer, at least make them share in the cuts. While the cut in pay won't bother most of the "millionaires", the cuts in staff, travel expenses, housing, etc. would.

[mr1956]

7. 20% if they're not exempt

As a federal worker I am facing a 20% pay cut between April and October if they don't get their act together. It's only fair they face the same.

[modrepub]

13. How do you get 20%?

My agency is looking at roughly a 5% reduction in pay if the furloughs actually take place. Not that I don't disagree that Congress, the President and the Supreme Court should take the same pay cut as the rest of us.

[magical thyme]

14. agencies face a 20% across the board cut

but are not directed exactly how to implement.

Your agency may be able to cut expenses elsewhere by closing open job requisitions, attrition, or cutting some other operating expenses.

Some are cutting the workweek to 4 days, which results in a 20% pay cut.

[tammywammy]

36. I know plenty of civilian DoD employees going on furlough every Friday

Starting April until whenever. That's a 20% pay cut.

[okwmember]

34. The email I got from Senator Nelson said Congress' pay cut would match the the highest paycut

received at any federal agency. So whichever agency reduced pay the most or furloughed workers resulting in the highest overall cut in pay, that would be the percentage of Congress' cut. He didn't actually link to the bill, that was just the way he summarized it.

[msongs]

2. 50% paycut, cancel all health/retirement bennies, remove all perks costing taxpayers..BUT...

most of these people are millionaire members of the 1% so it won't matter much to any of them really

[rsmith6621]

3. Close Their Offices Down....

...put drapes over the furniture. Force them to live in their respective houses of congress until they reach a DEAL... And this goes for any other budget issues that come up that are not resolved.

[Fire Walk With Me]

4. Make it illegal for them to take cushy private-sector jobs from lobbyists after retiring.

THAT would screw them.

[LiberalFighter]

26. How about they lose their govt pension if they take a lobby job?

[Fire Walk With Me]

27. That's good as well. If they can be cut off from $$$ distractions, it's all good.

[annabanana]

38. I agree. That might be the ONLY thing that can really

get their attention...

[Frustratedlady]

8. Well, that covers the days they aren't working, so...

how much more are you going to cut for the sequester?

Pretty crazy, isn't it?

[valerief]

9. True, but even the 1% hate to lose a single penny of THEIRS. In fact, they'd

shout the loudest against it.

[SCVDem]

6. Eliminate any perks.

Let em take a bus to work and get out with the real people!

[Iliyah]

10. Furlough day once a week

Although congress doesn't work anyways at least for majority of the American people.

[cali]

11. oh screw them

It's total showboating They're both on the furthest reaches of the right in the party. this is just to pacify progressive constituents and means nothing.

[Mass]

12. Well, most senators, including her, will not care as they are wealthy.

It may affect a few congresspeople, but those are not the one blocking the process, for the most part.

[beerandjesus]

43. But you just nailed the catch right there...

The wealthiest member of the House? Darrell Issa. He's not going to care, and would likely get political mileage out of this. But I'd be willing to bet if we on DU took a poll of our favorite congressmen, and then determined which ones would be hardest hit by a stunt like this, we'd find a hell of a lot of overlap. You can bet you won't get to Eric Cantor or Mitch McConnell that way! If anything, we'll make it harder for the people we like to run for reelection and end up with even more intransigent plutocrats.

Yes, this is unconstitutional, but it's a bad idea too. Even if it does feel satisfying on a visceral level.

[Hatchling]

15. Change their pay from salary to hourly.

Mayve they will stay in congress and work instead of going off on recess. That would be a cut in pay right there.

[bluelagoon]

37. Actually, that's a great idea . . AND

tie said hourly rate to a number of metrics: GDP, unemployment, poverty rate, infant mortality, incarceration percentage (low is better - clarification needed for freepers), CO2 emissions, etc.

Let them operate under a pay for performance setup like many people have been doing for years.

[Thinkingabout]

39. For the lowest paid Congressional members the current year of working 126 days

Is $173 per hour. Since there will be many voting against minimal wages let their salary go to the minimal wage level.

[Moostache]

42. Do not forget...NO OVERTIME!!!

We would not want to offend Cantor and his sick bastard friends.....

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Sequester cuts

[NorthCarolina]

17. Pffffttt...meaningless gesture when the greater portion of their income is from graft.

This would only impact the very few souls in Congress who are actually working on behalf of the people. Very few.

[ancianita]

18. They should "furlough" themselves by only getting paid the 124-6 days they've decided to work.

[ancianita]

19. Send in the US Marshals to put locks on all their doors. A LOCKOUT. The People will be dealt with.

[They_Live]

20. I propose

minimum wage and the removal of private money income from lobbyists.

I know. I know. But I can dream.

[former9thward]

21. Perhaps the good Senator should read the Constitution.

The 27th amendment prohibits a reduction in pay for members of Congress.

[Fire Walk With Me]

23. Then we need an amendement that they should work more than 109 days a year.

And also, not work for wall street and not be able to take cushy private sector jobs after retiring.

[SemperEadem]

29. It says

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.

[former9thward]

32. Correct.

Which means her bill is a publicity stunt.

[RC]

45. Amendment 27 - Limiting Changes to Congressional Pay

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.

Claire is from Missouri. In more normal times, she would be a Republican. Here, she appears sane in comparison,

[WillyT]

22. HUGE K & R !!!

[judesedit]

24. Congress doesn't earn ANY pay at all.And should have to buy their own health insurance the way we do

Their pay should be reduced heavily. This do-nothing Congress is the worst in history. Vote to get the bums OUT of office asap.

[LiberalFighter]

25. Her bill is not constitutional.

She can create legislation that prevents pay increases. But they will only take effect in the Congress after the legislation is passed.
She can create legislation to reduce their budgets and that can take effect immediately.
She can create legislation to increase the cost of meals in the cafeteria so congress members have to pay more.
She can create legislation to require that all restrooms in the capitol are shutdown between 9PM and 7:30AM so congressional members don't use facilities for free.
She can create legislation that shuts down the internet and tv access in the capitol during the same hours.

[SemperEadem]

28. not only that

but they cannot hold the lost pay in escrow until this debacle is resolved and then get a lump sum of the money that was withheld unless the rest of the federal workers get that exact same deal.

[procon]

30. It's just stupid grandstanding

The Twenty-seventh Amendment prohibits a sitting congress from changing its own salary while it is in session, so even if it passes, nothing would change until the next term. House Republicans tried to pull the same stunt in January and it didn’t take long for journalists and academics to question the constitutionality of their bill... and here we go again.

[oldandhappy]

31. per diem

And having one person there to have them 'in session' does not count. Each person has to be there to get paid for that day.

[Javaman]

33. now let's all collectively hold our breaths. nt

[Wilms]

35. ^

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

40. and stop their health care too.

[Cha]

41. Good Going, Claire.. get it out there!

Thanks Fire

[Thor_MN]

44. Cut? Suspend. Give them the option to earn it back, by working full weeks, after they get

it straighten out. Once they get it worked out, they can add days to the schedule to regain some of what they lost by not doing their jobs. If I spent weeks, much less months, with another programmer arguing about how to code something, I would be out of a job.

[khan8]

46. Called Senator blunt

the other senator from Missouri. As soon as I read the article, I called. I plan on calling every day. Along with calling the white house.

[Skittles]

47. if they were serious that would have been part of sequestration

this is a DOG AND PONY SHOW