A 1,547-page spending deal was released Tuesday night will give members of Congress a raise.
The lame-duck continuing resolution (CR) unveiled just three days before a potential government shutdown strips a provision included in spending bills since 2009 to block automatic raises for Congress, effectively giving senators and House members a raise.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the top Democrat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, explained in 2023 that the so-called “Member Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) automatically takes effect unless it is blocked.”
“News flash: a COLA is a pay increase for Members of Congress,” she stated unequivocally.
Congress often cleverly rebrands politically toxic items like congressional pay raises, as when they began referring to earmarks as “congressionally directed spending.”
This is not the first time in recent memory…
