Matheson's effort to block raises is foiled

WASHINGTON — The House prevented Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, from offering an amendment on the floor Tuesday that could have blocked a congressional salary raise.

Matheson urged his colleagues to vote no on a procedural vote affecting the Transportation and Treasury spending bill so he would be able to offer the amendment calling for an up or down vote on the pay raise. But the House instead approved the procedural vote leaving the Utah Democrat unable to offer the amendment.

Congress is scheduled to receive a 2 percent increase, or $3,300. The annual salary for members would then be $168,500.

This is the sixth time Matheson has spoken against a congressional pay raise, according to his office. The raise is not listed specifically in the spending bill but tied to the annual cost-of-living adjustments for federal employees, said Matheson's spokeswoman Alyson Heyrend.

Matheson said he did not think it is "appropriate" for a congressional pay raise to go through in a larger spending bill, rather than as a stand-alone item.

"Here we are in a circumstance where we continue to swim in a lake of red ink," Matheson said, referring to the $8 trillion deficit and the House's approval of a $94 billion supplemental spending bill earlier on Tuesday.

"With gas prices high and mortgage rates rising, most Utahns are looking for ways to economize. Congress could do with some belt-tightening in Washington," said Matheson in a statement.

Matheson last year introduced a bipartisan bill that would eliminate the automatic pay adjustments for members of Congress, but it still awaits committee action.

If the House pay increase become law later this year, Matheson will donate the raise to local Utah charities, according to his office.

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