Quigley Votes Against Congressional Pay Raises

Press Release

Today, Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) helped pass a measure to block federal lawmakers from receiving automatic pay increases for the 2011 fiscal year. Quigley is an original co-sponsor of the bill and has supported similar legislation in the past.

"I am honored to hold the job my constituents have elected me to do, but know that others are not as fortunate," Quigley said. "With unemployment in Illinois above the national average and a soaring national deficit, elected officials need to spend taxpayer dollars more wisely, by taking care of working families, not ourselves."

In 1989, Congress approved a process that provides lawmakers with an automatic pay raise unless they vote specifically to reject the raise. Today's bill -- H.R. 5146 -- will block the annual cost-of-living adjustment for the salaries of Members of Congress in 2011 -- saving taxpayers about a million dollars. The Senate passed identical legislation (S. 3244) denying the automatic $1,600 pay raise last week.

H.R. 5146 passed the House this afternoon and continues the current pay freeze already in place for 2010.

Quigley testified in front of the House Budget Committee about the importance of an open and honest budget and also introduced a "Sense of the House" resolution to set attainable goals for reining in both the national debt and annual deficit. Last year, he returned $100,000 of his annual office budget to the U.S. Treasury as part of his commitment to fiscal responsibility.

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