To ensure congressional accountability, I propose that citizens should have the power to vote on Congressional pay raises during elections, similar to voting on amendments. This would allow constituents to hold their representatives accountable for their actions and performance.
Key Points
Constitutional Background: Article I, Section 6 of the U.S. Constitution states that Congressional compensation must be “ascertained by Law” and paid out of the Treasury ¹.
Current Process: Congress can adjust their salaries through specific legislation or automatic annual adjustments based on the Employment Cost Index ².
Accountability Mechanism: Allowing citizens to vote on pay raises would provide a direct check on Congressional power, ensuring representatives prioritize public interests over personal gain.
Performance-Based Pay: If a Senator or Representative fails to uphold their campaign promises, citizens should have the authority to deny pay increases.
Implementation
To make this a reality, we could:
Introduce a constitutional amendment enabling citizen votes on Congressional pay raises.
Establish clear guidelines for evaluating Congressional performance.
Ensure transparency in Congressional actions and their alignment with campaign promises.
By giving citizens this power, we can promote accountability, transparency, and representation that truly serves the people’s interests.
YES!! Congress should not have the ability to give themselves pay raises willy-nilly whenever they feel like it. They need to learn to live on a budget like the rest of us. Also, NO PENSIONS!!
Agreed, first they need a pay degrees. We the People didn’t agree to them making over 100k a yr with the best benefits. I’m good with starting wage at 70k a yr. They work hard , show up for voting and leave their personal agenda out, dump the lobbiest., actually READ THE BILL BEFORE they pass it with no nonsense pork in a bill. If they do well then their state gets to vote if they deserve a raise. Oh and if they can’t come up with a budget bill for the next yr by Dec 31 well, then congress doesn’t get paid 1 month for every day they can’t figure things out. We don’t shut down ss checks or anything else that will hurt the people especially our elderly. If they go over budget then there is a consequence for that too.
I agree with the above proposal, but I believe pay should start at the average median of the working citizens of the state they are representing. So if the the state does better then they will also. This will be motivational to help the lower income families. Additional I believe they should also have to use the VA as their health insurance as they are government employees so they can see first hand what are vets have to do for health care.