'Politically toxic': Congress caught 'giving itself a pay bump' in 'under the radar' move
The bipartisan spending deal reached in the House of Representatives contains some provisions that are certain to raise some eyebrows, reports Punchbowl News' Melanie Zanona.
Specifically, it seems that lawmakers have slipped themselves "a cost-of-living pay raise for first time since 2009" as well as "an opt-out from being required to use Obamacare." The items flew "under the radar," according to Zanona's reporting.
Elaborating more on the provisions at Punchbowl News, Zanona and colleague John Bresnahan write that the cost-of-living pay increase is something that lawmakers have been clamoring for for years, as Congress has been barred from getting such raises since 2009 when America was in the midst of the global financial crisis.
While that pay raise might be justified in the abstract, Zanona and Bresnahan write, it could also look bad politically.
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"The optics of Congress, an already unpopular institution, giving itself a pay bump has long been seen as politically toxic," they write. "So expect this to get a lot of attention today, particularly from conservatives already furious over the CR."
The opt-out of the Obamacare requirement could also face a backlash, as lawmakers have been forced for years to get health care through the exchanges set up by the 2009 Affordable Care Act.
"A couple of Republicans have been trying to overturn this for years to no avail," they write. "We’re told some key Democrats were unaware of this language until after the final CR text was released Tuesday evening. The provision wasn’t in an earlier draft of the health title of the CR that was circulating."