Senate Passes Bill that Bennet Cosponsored to Block Pay Raise for Members of Congress

Washington, DC – Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, released the following statement today following Senate passage of a bill to stop members of Congress from receiving pay raises in FY 2011. Michael cosponsored this bipartisan bill. As part of his Plan for Washington Reform, Bennet has proposed that pay and office budgets of every member of Congress should be frozen until we have four consecutive quarters of job growth.

“As American families struggle to make ends meet in these tough economic times, it would have been wrong to increase Congressional pay. Blocking next year’s automatic pay raise is just one small step; we must continue to work to reform the broken system in Washington. Congress should not be allowed to consider increasing members’ pay or office budgets until our economy gets fully back on track. We should enact tougher rules on lobbyists, greater transparency on earmarks, stronger rules on campaign finance and more accountability on the Senate floor. In the real world, families are forced to make tough choices and budget their money. Congress should have to do the same. ”

-Michael F. Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado