September 7, 1976
Page 29171
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I support a freeze on congressional salaries. I must oppose the amendment of my good friend from South Carolina (Mr. HOLLINGS) to delete the freeze which was approved by the House of Representatives.
It is never easy for a worker to put a dollar value on his or her performance. We in Congress are no different. We have allowed raises in Cabinet pay and in the salaries of other Government workers. We have hesitated to increase our own pay. And no one who has sat here with us from 8 a.m. until midnight or beyond, who has been with us during these 60, 70, or 80-hour weeks, who has been here with us for 600 rollcall votes in a year would argue that we do not earn our pay.
But the question before us is not a question of merit. As elected officials, our special responsibilities go beyond being good representatives. We have another obligation as well.
In times of hardship, we must be willing to tighten our belts by at least as much as we ask our constituents to bear.
If we raise our own salaries, can we tell the more than 7 million unemployed that we understand their special hardships? If we raise our pay can we tell the family which has seen its paycheck raided by 3 years of brutal inflation that we understand the difficult choices the family faces? If we raise our pay, can we tell the disabled worker who relies on less than $200 a month that we understand his needs and his suffering? I think not.
The latest economic news makes it clear that the economy is far from healthy. We should concern ourselves with that problem, and not with questions of our salary.