Tester introduces bill to end automatic pay raises for members of Congress

Senator calls on colleagues to accept greater accountability

(U.S. SENATE) – Senator Jon Tester has introduced legislation to require all members of Congress to permanently give up automatic yearly pay raises.

Under current law, members of Congress automatically receive yearly cost-of-living pay increases unless members vote to stop the increase.

Tester, who has helped kill three automatic pay raises since taking office, introduced bipartisan legislation to change the law and permanently end automatic raises for members of Congress.

Tester called the legislation “a matter of accountability.”

“When I got to the Senate, Congress had spent a decade giving themselves pay raises every year, while hardworking, middle-class Montanans struggled to make ends meet,” Tester said.  “Most folks don’t have the luxury of automatic pay raises—and Congress ought to lead by example.  Especially when families across rural America are forced to pinch pennies, their representatives in Congress should do the same.  That’s why I’ve led the fight to help kill pay raises, and it’s why I’m calling on my colleagues today to give up automatic pay hikes.”

The Congressional Pay Raise Prevention Act, cosponsored by Senators Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and John McCain, R-Ariz., is available on Tester’s website, HERE.