Democrats can’t round up the votes to approve a pay increase for Congress, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer admitted Tuesday, shelving the idea for now.
“Discussions are ongoing and as a result, I’m not going to move the bill at this point in time because we haven’t resolved the issue,” he told reporters. “We don’t have the votes.”
He had been hoping to approve what he called a cost of living increase — 2.6% of pay — which would work out to about $4,500. Most members currently make $174,000 each year.
Mr. Hoyer had been hoping to strike a deal with Republicans to earn the votes for the raise, and appeared to have support of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. But too many Democrats said they thought it sent a bad message to raise their own pay as soon as they took the majority.
And the push took a major hit when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected the idea last week.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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