[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 135 (Thursday, October 2, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1908]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CHARLES E. SCHUMER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 30, 1997

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Speaker, on September 24, 1997, I was recorded as 
voting ``yea'' and then as voting ``nay'' on ordering the previous 
question for the Treasury-Postal appropriation bill, a vote which has 
been described as a referendum on the 2.3-percent cost of living 
adjustment (COLA) for Members of Congress.
  The purpose of this statement is to set the record straight on my 
actions. I came into the Chamber with virtually no time remaining. 
Mistakenly, I inserted my card in ``yes.''
  Once I ascertained that the vote was indeed a pay raise, I went 
immediately and corrected my vote to ``nay.'' This ``nay'' vote was in 
accordance with my previous position on the cost of living increase for 
Members of Congress. Since 1993, I have voted against every cost of 
living increase.
  When I first walked onto the floor, there were already 218 votes in 
favor of the measure. In other words, the COLA had already passed and 
my vote would have had no effect on the outcome. Therefore, correcting 
my vote to ``no'' could not and should not be seen as doing anything 
other than rectifying a mistake.
  Furthermore, since early last week, I was working out ways to donate 
this COLA increase to charities in New York. I always intended to 
oppose this pay raise, as I have done in the past, and had fully 
intended to donate the money if the pay raise was foisted upon me.
  Mr. Speaker, I insert the following:

                                    Congress of the United States,


                                     House of Representatives,

                               Washington, DC, September 26, 1997.
     Mr. Joseph Lelyveld
     Executive Editor, The New York Times, New York, NY.
       Dear Mr. Lelyveld: May we add some detail to your report on 
     Representative Charles Schumer's vote against the 
     congressional pay raise.
       This past week on the House floor, House Democrats have had 
     multiple procedural motions designed to pressure the 
     Republican Leadership on the need to bring campaign finance 
     reform to the House floor. The vote on Wednesday, September 
     25th was a recorded vote to move the previous question. 
     Representative Charles Schumer rushed onto the House floor 
     with little if any time left on the voting clock. As he was 
     pulling out his voting card from his wallet, a veteran member 
     of Congress shouted from the back, ``This is a `yes' vote,'' 
     and Mr. Schumer used the machine to vote `aye.' Mr. Gejdenson 
     came up the aisle and advised him that, in fact, this was not 
     a procedural vote without meaning but was the vote on the 
     congressional pay raise. Mr. Schumer was in obvious distress 
     that he had voted contrary to his wishes. He rushed 
     immediately to the front of the House and changed his vote 
     from `aye' to `no,' thereby voting against the pay raise.
           Sincerely,
     Vic Snyder,
       Member of Congress.
     Sam Gejdenson,
       Member of Congress.

       

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