[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4984-4985]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   THE INTRODUCTION OF THE MEMBER OF CONGRESS PAY SEQUESTRATION AND 
                              FAIRNESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 10, 2013

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Member of 
Congress Pay Sequestration and Fairness Act, which would

[[Page 4985]]

subject the pay of Members of the House and Senate to any future 
sequestration, or automatic, across-the-board spending cuts. While 
Members of Congress may differ on the merits of sequestration, once the 
cuts are a matter of law, Members should abide by the laws we impose on 
the American people. The most serious effects of these arbitrary, 
across-the-board cuts are being felt by the American people. For 
example, during the remainder of this fiscal year, as a result of 
sequestration cuts to Medicare, many cancer clinic patients will have 
to go to hospitals for outpatient chemotherapy at sharply higher costs, 
or face reduced access to treatment. More than a million federal 
employees may be furloughed, which will result in reduced pay. It is 
simply unfair for well-paid Members of Congress to subject federal 
employees, who not only usually earn considerably less but are now also 
in their third year of frozen wages, to pay cuts that Members are 
unwilling to take themselves.
  Under the 1985 law that established the sequestration process, the 
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act (also known as the 
Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act), Congress expressly exempted certain federal 
programs, activities, and projects, including the President's pay, from 
sequestration. The pay of Members of Congress is not expressly exempt. 
Nevertheless, the Office of Management and Budget has interpreted the 
law to exempt the pay of Members. I would hope that today's Congress 
would revise the law. My bill would subject Member pay to any future 
sequestration implemented under the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act, 
including the Budget Control Act of 2011 and the Statutory Pay-As-You-
Go Act of 2010. In order to comply with the 27th Amendment of the U.S. 
Constitution, which prohibits changes to Member pay until an 
intervening election, this bill would take effect next Congress.
  I ask my colleagues to follow the example we set for ourselves when, 
in passing the Congressional Accountability Act, we pledged that the 
laws that apply to the American people would also apply to Members of 
Congress.

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