Less than one week after complaining that Members of Congress are underpaid, Congressman Jim Moran (D-Va) today proposed granting Members of Congress a housing stipend to help defray the cost of living in DC.
From Moran's website:
With Congress in session 112 days in 2014, the housing stipend would be $2,800, equivalent to this year’s proposed cost of living adjustment which is being frozen for the 6th consecutive year.
“The House is supposed to reflect the people of this country. Don’t we want it to make financial sense for a 30-something physician, district attorney, city council member, or small business owner, who maybe has a new home mortgage, young children, or unpaid student loan debt, to serve in Congress?,” said Rep. Moran. “Federal elected office shouldn’t be limited just to those who are financially independent and do not have to give thought to paying out-of-pocket for living expenses while in D.C. We’re in the 5th year of a COLA freeze for Members’ pay. This reform would at least offer some relief from the cost of renting a second residence in the Washington Metropolitan area.”
Please excuse me while I shed a tear over the plight of Congressmen and Senators who make $174,000 per year.
Update: The House Appropriations Committee rejected Moran's proposal.
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