The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 12/30/8
U.S. Rep. Travis Childers of Booneville says he plans to fight an automatic pay raise coming in January for members of Congress.
The pay raise – about $4,700 or a 2.8 percent increase – will boost U.S. House and Senate members’ salaries from $169,300 to a little more than $174,000.
“I am planning to co-sponsor legislation in January, with a bipartisan coalition of my colleagues, that will revoke this congressional pay raise,” Childers, a Democrat, said last week.
Calls were not returned from Republican Sens. Thad Cochran or Roger Wicker about their stances on the issue.
“This is not a good year for those of us working for the government to take a raise,” Childers noted, saying it’s wrong symbolically and practically, as well as inappropriate in tough economic times.
Magnolia Tribune
