The pay hike clause in the measure is the main reason the Maine Democrat is against the CR. According to Golden’s news release,
“Congress should be working to raise Americans’ wages and lower their health care costs, not sneaking new member perks into must-pass legislation behind closed doors.”
“Members should look for alternative employment if they are unable to make ends meet with our already substantial pay and perks. I will vote against the CR as long as these clauses are included.
“I will not vote for this CR until the pay freeze is reinstated,” Golden said. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS),
The CR’s pay increase for members of Congress only adjusts legislators’ basic salaries for 2025 and does not account for all of the adjustments that have been mandated since 2009.
According to CRS, their basic pay in 2024 would have been $243,000 if legislators hadn’t often included language in yearly budget bills that forbade their pay from rising in tandem with COLAs.
