GOP Punishes Dems...and Themselves Over Pay Raises

The GOP was not happy with the way the Dems tried to beat them over the head during the election on the issue of congressional pay raises (which is a bipartisan effort), and they decided to lighten everybody's wallets by about $2,800:

House Democratic leaders Monday abandoned attempts to revive an annual pay raise cherished by rank and file lawmakers, a decision prompted by lingering GOP anger over last year's campaign.

Lawmakers' pay will be frozen at $165,200 for this year in a dispute fueled by the Democrats' use of the issue in last year's campaign, violating a yearslong understanding that the competing parties would not attack each other over pay raises.

At issue is the annual congressional cost of living adjustment, or COLA, under which lawmakers automatically get a pay hike unless Congress votes to block it. Democratic and Republican leaders had worked cozily for years to make sure an annual pay-related vote went smoothly.

Captain Ed explains the situation a little better:

After the last increase got approved in June for this session of Congress -- a session cannot increase its current wages -- the Democrats used the COLAs in attack ads for the midterms, scolding the Republicans for making adjustments to the cost of living while leaving the federal minimum wage alone. The argument failed to note the participation of Democratic leadership in those agreements, leaving the Republicans holding the bag for the COLAs.

In December, while still in the majority, they pushed back the new COLA, making it impossible for the Democrats to avoid responsibility for the increase. The Democrats wanted to push the COLA back a few more weeks out, in order to get the minimum-wage hike approved before Congress got its raise, but the GOP blocked that effort -- and have announced that they will not support any more increases in the Congressional wage. Without bipartisan support, the Democrats will have to drop the COLA.

It's hard to feel sorry for people making $165,000 a year and working as little as they do. Nobody will lament the lack of a pay raise except the congressmen, and it's kind of nice to see the GOP throwing the Dems hypocrisy back at them.