With approval ratings south of 20 percent, Congress isn't exactly acing its performance review -- and one congresswoman thinks it's time the American people started docking members' pay.
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., last week introduced a bill to cut pay for members of Congress by 5 percent. She said it hasn't made her the most popular person in the House of Representatives, but it's starting to gain bipartisan support.
"I'll tell you, there is nothing like asking the people you work with to take a cut in pay and see the concern on their faces," Kirkpatrick told Fox News on Monday.
The first-term congresswoman said she's hopeful, given the enormous fiscal challenges facing the country, the measure can pass. She said she's already started handing over 5 percent of her pay every month -- or $870 -- to help chisel away at the national debt.
"I'm putting my money where my mouth is. I'm leading by example and I hope my colleagues will join me," she said.
The current salary for a member of Congress is $174,000. Leaders earn more.
"The last time Congress took a cut in pay was 77 years ago. I don't know anyone who has not had a pay cut in 77 years," she said.
It's been 77 years of constant pay increases for Congress. If this doesn't make you hate these people more, what will? People are struggling to put food on their table and clothes on their children; meanwhile, members of Congress consistently vote themselves a raise every year. When do Americans start to demand representation in Washington? According to Harry Reid, it's a "GREAT DAY," when only 36,000 people lose their jobs. If the private sector is evaluated on job performance, why can't our Congressmen and women?
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