What are the perks for Congress?…They will not tell us everything

(LFC Comments:  Thanks to our friends at Auburntownship.org for this article.)

scam 1 The pension paid to members in Congress is considered private information, and not subject to public scrutiny.  They also get salaries from federal contractors…we thought that was known as money laundering.   Still think that they are working for us?  WHAT A SCAM! )
                      *****

https://www.auburntownship.org/COMMENTARY2/2020_Jan_June_default.html#GOVERNMENT_WATCHDOG:_ITS_TIME_TO_CHANGE_CONGRESSIONAL_PERKS_

GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG: IT’S TIME TO CHANGE CONGRESSIONAL PERKS
Published Wednesday, June 10, 2020
By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square

With more than 30 million people out of work and the U.S. House of Representatives voting by proxy, the nonprofit watchdog group, OpenTheBooks.com, says it’s time to re-evaluate the perks members of Congress receive.

“With public opinion polls consistently showing that up to 83 percent of the American people view Congress unfavorably, it’s time for change,” the report states. “The American people should insist on bipartisan congressional reforms.”

In 2019 and the first two weeks of 2020, the House was in session for only 850 hours and the Senate for 1,003 hours. Yet all members earn six-figure salaries and additional “perks,” Open the Books notes.

Open the Books is a nonprofit organization that tracks government spending.

In addition to the federal salaries for the House Speaker ($223,500), Majority and Minority leaders the President Pro Tempore ($193,400) and members ($174,000), they can also receive salaries from federal contractors based in their districts, Open the Books found.

In “Congressional Membership Has Its Privilege – Salaries, Pensions, Travel, and Other Taxpayer-Funded Perks,” Open the Books lists how lucrative becoming a member of the House of Representatives is today.

In addition to receiving income through federal contractors, members of Congress’ pensions increase for every year of service by $2,000. The report notes that “congressional ethics laws are so weak that no member of Congress has ever been stripped of their pension because of a corruption conviction.”

In another report published by Forbes, Open the Books identifies how members of Congress “own investment stock in, are employed by, and receive retirement pensions from federal contractors to whom they direct billions of taxpayer dollars.”

Additionally, they sponsor legislation that impacts the very contractors from whom they receive income.

Congressional travel expenditures are also covered by taxpayers. Since 2005, members of Congress and committee staffers have gone on 16,367 trips, including to the top overseas destinations of Israel, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and United Arab Emirates, all funded taxpayer, Open the Books reports.

taxpayer screwed 2Members also receive a 72-percent subsidized health insurance plan, a $25 per month on-site Capitol Hill gym membership with a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, and paddleball, and are covered by Worker’s Compensation Insurance and Social Security Disability Insurance. They are also exempt from some federal laws including the Freedom of Information Act, safety and health investigatory subpoenas, protections against retaliation for whistleblowers, among others, the report notes.

Salaries have remained flat for members of Congress since 2009, however, during times of federal government shutdowns when Congress could not agree on a budget, some members called to halt the payment of their salaries during these times.

In January 2019, U.S. Rep. John Curtis, R-UT, introduced H.R. 26, the “No Work, No Pay Act of 2019” to prohibit senators and representatives from being paid during periods when any federal agency is shut down due to a lapse in funding appropriated by Congress.

In 2018, 10 Democratic senators introduced a bill to withhold pay for members of Congress during a federal government shutdown. The bill went nowhere but two members, Rep. Barbara Comstock. R-Virginia, and Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, withheld their pay during the shutdown. Two other members, Rep. John Delaney, D-Maryland, and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, donated their salary to a hospital and to charity.

Since 1789, there have been 10,363 U.S. House members and 1,307 U.S. senators. In 1789, members earned $6 per day, and did not earn an annual salary of $1,500 until 1815.

Members didn’t receive a pension until 1920, and did not pay Social Security tax or were eligible to receive Social Security benefits until 1984.



Categories: Congress, Uncategorized

Tags:

17 replies

  1. Great blog you have here.. It’s hard to find excellent writing like yours these days. I seriously appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!

  2. I like it whenever people come together and share thoughts. Great website, stick with it!

  3. This is a topic which is close to my heart… Best wishes! Exactly where are your contact details though?

  4. This is the right webpage for anyone who wants to understand this topic. You know so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really would want to…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a subject which has been written about for many years. Wonderful stuff, just great!

  5. Spot on with this write-up, I seriously believe that this amazing site needs far more attention. I’ll probably be returning to read more, thanks for the info!

  6. Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this post and the rest of the site is really good.

  7. I seriously love your site.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you build this site yourself? Please reply back as I’m wanting to create my very own blog and would love to learn where you got this from or what the theme is named. Appreciate it!

  8. 406453 961887Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to assert that I acquire truly enjoyed account your weblog posts. Anyway I will likely be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently swiftly. 622268

  9. 482331 386324youve got an critical weblog appropriate here! would you wish to make some invite posts on my blog? 291581

  10. 789178 288945bless you with regard towards the certain weblog post ive truly been looking with regard to this kind of advice on the net for sum time these days hence with thanks 791400

  11. 106478 46019Directories such given that the Yellow Websites need to have not list them, so unlisted numbers strength sometimes be alive a lot more harm than financial assistance. 371472

  12. 630945 787689This style is spectacular! You naturally know how to maintain a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (nicely, almostHaHa!) Fantastic job. I truly enjoyed what you had to say, and much more than that, how you presented it. Too cool! 562079

  13. 760230 791671Thanks for the post, was an interesting read. Curious as to how you came about that solution 253472

  14. 814798 502168Aw, it was a really great post. In concept I should put in writing comparable to this additionally – spending time and actual effort to manufacture a superb article but exactly what do I say I procrastinate alot and no means discover a method to go carried out. 856011

  15. malatya escort bayanlarla tanışmak için bu siteyi ziyaret edebilirsiniz.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Lobbyists for Citizens

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading