Rep. Giffords Proposes Pay Cut for Congress

Republicans have floated the idea of cutting congressional salaries to help trim the budget deficit, and now the idea is going bipartisan. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., (pictured) introduced a bill Thursday that would halt the automatic pay raise scheduled for members of Congress in 2012 and cut their pay by 5 percent, or $8,700 each, in the 113th Congress, The Hill reports. That’s the next time a pay decrease would be possible.

The bill has 18 co-sponsors, including Republican Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., also has offered a bill to stop the automatic cost-of-living increase for 2012. Giffords’ bill would lop about $4.7 million off the deficit by freezing the base pay of House and Senate lawmakers at $174,000. Majority and minority leaders each earn $193,400 per year, and newly elected Speaker John Boehner is slated to make $223,500.