Golden, Fitzpatrick successfully prevent Congressional pay raises in 2024 spending package
WASHINGTON — Congressmen Jared Golden (ME-02) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) announced today they have successfully prevented a congressional pay raise in the appropriations package released by House and Senate leaders early Thursday morning.
Earlier this month, Golden and Fitzpatrick — joined by a bipartisan group of colleagues in the House — sent a letter to the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging them to reject efforts to include a Cost-of-Living Adjustment, or COLA, in the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bill.
“Every year a few members of Congress work up the nerve to advocate for pay raises and every time I have worked across the aisle to oppose them,” Golden said. “I have always said: Membership in Congress is about service, not a paycheck. At a time when members already earn far more than the average American, and when the public has little faith in their elected officials, the last thing we need is a raise.”
“I’m glad to see member pay raises are not included in this year’s government funding package,” Fitzpatrick said. “Hard working Americans don’t automatically receive a pay increase every year and neither should Congress. We’re here to work for our constituents and fix real issues, not raise our own salaries.”
Members’ $174,000 annual salary is roughly three times the average individual salary in Maine, and higher than the annual pay of roughly 96 percent of Mainers. Golden has advocated against Congressional raises since his first term in Congress.
The full letter to the Appropriations chairs is available here. In addition to Golden and Fitzpatrick, co-signers include Reps. Sharice Davids (KS-03), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), John Curtis (UT-03), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Angie Craig (MN-02), Don Bacon (NE-02), and Elissa Slotkin (MI-07).
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