Congress Declines Payraise For Now?! WTF?

[SirNitram]

Okay, yea, I'm surprised.

WASHINGTON - President Bush signed an executive order Thursday to raise the pay of federal workers, members of Congress and Vice President Dick Cheney in the new year.

Congress passed the pay raises earlier this year, but Bush was required to sign an executive order to enforce them.

The president's annual salary of $400,000 is not affected by the legislation.

The size of the pay raises was based on a formula in federal law that takes into account cost-of-living changes.

Civil servants, on average, will get a 2.2 percent pay increase in January. So will uniformed members of the military.

Members of Congress, the vice president and most senior federal officials will get a 1.7 percent pay increase, as will federal administrative law judges.

Congress opted to put off its pay increases until Feb. 16, not Jan. 1, on the urging of the incoming Democratic leaders in the House and Senate. They say no pay raise should kick in until Congress approves an increase in the federal minimum wage, which has been stuck at $5.15 an hour for the past 10 years.

Currently, rank-and-file members of Congress get $165,200.

[frigidmagi]

I thought any pay raise had to be defered until the next election anyways?

[SirNitram]

I thought any pay raise had to be defered until the next election anyways?

Not if signed by executive order. EO's are in a wierd legal vacuum, much akin to presidential signing statements.

[B4UTRUST]

so basically with inflation at over 3% I will make less next year then I did this year dispite the raise in pay.