The $174,000/year salary for members of U.S. Congress is simply not enough to live off of, U.S. Rep. Jim Moran recently told Roll Call.
Moran, a Democratic representative from Virginia, told the Capitol Hill news service that members should receive larger paychecks in order to maintain two homes -- one in D.C. and the other in their home state.
"I think the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid," Moran told Roll Call. "I understand that it's widely felt that they underperform, but the fact is that this is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world."
Moran added some congressmembers live out of their offices in the Capitol or own small apartments. He also told WTOP that he expects wealthier people to fill more seats in congress given the amount of sacrifices legislators and their families make.
"More and more we're going to see people who are already millionaires coming into Congress," Moran said.
"Our pay has been frozen for three years and we're planning on freezing it a fourth year." According to WTOP, the salary for members has not been increased since 2009.
While Moran plans to introduce an amendment on the issue to bring further attention to their salaries, he presumes it won't pass.
"I don't think I'm going to get much support," Moran told WTOP. "As long as the Congress continues to freeze its own pay, it's going to be very difficult to unfreeze federal employees' pay. It seems to me that the federal workforce deserves a raise."
Prominent political reporters have chimed in on the salaries of U.S. representatives and senators before. Bob Schieffer, Chief Washington Correspondent at CBS, said they need a "complete overhaul."
I propose that they be paid by the hour, just like most government workers," he told WTOP. "But they would only be paid while they're legislating."
David Gregory, moderator of "Meet the Press" on MSNBC, agreed with Moran that he won't receive much support on a pay raise.
"When Congress does so little, as it's done in this Congress ... you're not going to get a lot of sympathy," said Gregory.
