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.
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