Career Politician

Congressional Pay Raise

While Jean Schmidt did not vote specifically for a pay raise for herself, she did refuse to prevent an automatic pay hike.  There is no bill that explicitly funds a pay raise for members of Congress. Their salaries automatically go up annually unless Congress passes a bill to prevent it.

In June 2006, Schmidt voted “yes” on a procedural motion that prohibited a Democratic congressman from forcing a direct yes-or-no vote on the cost-of-living adjustment. Had she voted “no” on the motion, she could have helped Rep. Jim Matheson’s bring up a promised proposal to force members to take a position.

However, Congress ultimately did stop the pay hike set for 2007 (with no thanks to Schmidt).