WASHINGTON - As families across Missouri continue to tighten their belts, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is asking a Senate panel to take action on her legislation to permanently end automatic pay raises for Members of Congress.

In a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, McCaskill, along with her colleague Senator Jon Tester (Mont.), requests the committee consider legislation to end the automatic pay raise at the committee's next business meeting, which is expected to be held next week.       

Under current law, Members of Congress automatically receive yearly cost-of-living pay increases unless members vote to stop the increase. McCaskill's bipartisan legislation would repeal the provision of law that provides automatic yearly pay raises for Members of Congress.

"At a time when we must rein in federal spending, preventing Members of Congress from receiving an automatic pay raise is a small step we can take toward improving fiscal accountability and ensuring Congress isn't playing by a special set of rules that puts it out of step with most Americans," McCaskill and Tester wrote. "Currently, as you may know, Members of Congress automatically receive an annual increase in their salary, meaning it takes legislative action to prevent members from getting a pay raise.  Few, if any, of our constituents are afforded such an opportunity."

McCaskill has helped stop several individual yearly pay raises since arriving in the Senate. Members of Congress have not received a pay raise since 2009. McCaskill's legislation would require Congress to vote proactively in order to raise their pay.

McCaskill also recently honored Sunshine Week by asking her colleagues to commit to a broader effort to 'clean up Congress' and strengthen accountability and transparency in government. As part of the plan, McCaskill renewed her call for ending automatic pay raises once and for all.  

A copy of McCaskill and Tester's letter is available HERE.

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