House Panel Blocks Plan for Pay Raise

Bowing to election-year pressure, the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Treasury voted to block a cost-of-living pay raise for members of Congress, all but ensuring that they will get no salary increase next year. Without the vote, the pay raise would have taken effect automatically. Most members of the House and Senate make $136,673, though leaders earn more. They last voted themselves a pay raise last year. Reps. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) and Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) proposed blocking the raise, agreeing that its passage was not realistic in an election year. Committee Chairman Bob Livingston (R-La.) said he believes the issue is dead for the year.