Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) has expressed his intention to oppose the continuing resolution (CR) designed to fund the government due to a provision that enables an automatic pay raise for Congress members.
In a post on the social platform X on Wednesday, he stated, “We should be working to raise Americans’ wages and lower their health care costs, not slipping new taxpayer-funded perks for ourselves into must-pass legislation behind closed doors.” He emphasized that he would not support the CR as long as it included raises and new health care benefits for lawmakers.
Golden stands firm against taxpayer-funded benefits for members of Congress
On Tuesday, congressional lawmakers presented a substantial funding bill aimed at keeping the government operational until March 14, thus preventing a shutdown scheduled for Friday. The newly proposed CR, which exceeds 1,500 pages, would grant lawmakers their first salary increase since 2009.
Currently, members of Congress earn $174,000 annually, with leadership positions commanding higher salaries. Due to concerns about potential backlash from constituents during reelection campaigns, lawmakers have generally refrained from seeking salary increases.
However, proponents of a pay raise argue that the high cost of living in Washington, D.C., and other key areas makes it necessary, suggesting that the lack of salary adjustments may deter individuals who are not wealthy from running for office.
“Every year a few members of Congress work up the nerve to advocate for pay raises, and every time I have worked across the aisle to oppose them,” Golden noted in March. “I have always said: Membership in Congress is about service, not a paycheck. At a time when members already earn far more than the average American, and when the public has little faith in their elected officials, the last thing we need is a raise.”
Additionally, the CR contains a one-year extension of the farm bill, around $100 billion allocated for disaster relief, and approximately $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers, among other provisions.
