House blocks its own pay raise

The bill passed by the House Tuesday is similar to a measure the Senate approved in a unanimous vote last week, The Washington Post reported. It would maintain congressional pay at its current level of $174,000 per year, saving taxpayers about $1 million annually, the newspaper said.

Congressional pay raises are triggered automatically if Congress does not vote to reject them, a step that is not uncommon in election years, the report said.

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., and a bipartisan group of colleagues have called on Congress to take a 5 percent pay cut and Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has called for eliminating the current system of automatic pay raises. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has proposed denying members of Congress any more pay raises until the federal budget is balanced, the Post said.

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