Congressional Accountability Project

Weak "Reform Week"

By Ralph Nader

House Republicans stormed into the 104th Congress trumpeting their plan to reform four decades of Democratic misrule in the House of Representatives.

Their so-called book "Contract With America" declared that "Elected officials have become so entrenched and protected that they are unresponsive to the public they were elected to serve."

That was 1994. Now it's 1996. Freshmen Republicans are now the entrenched incumbents. And -- surprise, surprise -- now they don't want to touch their own tub of lard: extravagant Congressional pay, perks and pensions.

Follow this one. Republican leaders of the House of Representatives have announced that the week of July 15th will be "reform week" in the House. That's when they're going to clean up the Congress -- so they say.

A couple of their reforms are good but minor, for example, denying pensions to House members convicted of felonies while in office, or barring the distribution of campaign checks on the House floor.

But notice what's missing: cuts in Congressional emoluments such as:

• Lavish salaries. Members of Congress receive a base salary of $133,600 per year. Top Congressional leadership makes more. For example, Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) receives $171,500 per year.
• Princely pensions. For example, ex-speaker Tom Foley (D-WA) will get almost $124,000 per year plus COLA, for life.
• A special $3,000 annual tax deduction enjoyed only by members of Congress.
• Free outpatient medical care at Bethesda Naval Hospital and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
• House Members keep the frequent-flier miles that taxpayers paid for.

Ben Franklin warned us of this. Over 200 years ago, during the Constitutional Convention, he said "there are two passions which have a powerful influence on the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice; the love of power, and the love of money. Separately, each of these has great force in prompting men to action; but when united in view of the same object, they have in many minds the most violent effects...tho' we may set out in the beginning with moderate [Congressional] salaries, we shall find that such will not be of long continuance. Reasons will never be wanting for proposed augmentations."

Members of Congress are public servants. They are trustees of the public purse. Their job is -- in part -- to safeguard the taxpayers' money from raids by the greedy, the selfish, and the undeserving.

Sadly, too many members of Congress want to enrich themselves at taxpayer expense. That's why their salaries and benefit packages are so high. They're sponging off the taxpayers.

Members of Congress now earn many multiples of the median annual individual income in the United States. They receive generous perquisites to the detriment of the dignity of the Congress. Many members of Congress will be pension millionaires when they retire. All this at a time when our federal government is about $5 trillion in debt.

This Congress is asking ordinary Americans to sacrifice to pay for reductions in the federal deficit. So it is fitting that members of Congress ought to lead by example, and sacrifice first, and most. Members of Congress ought to cut their pay and perquisites to restore some humility to Capitol Hill's high-flying culture, and to restore their moral authority to govern.

Now look at the House Democrats. Of course, they know that the Republicans don't want to cut Congressional pay, pensions, and perks. But the Democrats don't want to either. They'd rather stay in the minority than fight for what is right and exceedingly popular, and regain the majority. So the two party duopoly lives on.

As usual, Democrats can't seem to uphold their responsibility to be one party in a two party system. That's a testament to the degraded nature of our politics.

So it's up to you. If you think that Members of Congress are taking advantage of the taxpayers, then call your members of Congress and tell them to cut their pay, perks and pensions during "reform week."

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