'Politically toxic': Congress caught 'giving itself a pay bump' in 'under the radar' move
Raw StoryThe 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." 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. "The optics of Congress, an already unpopular institution, giving itself a pay bump has long been seen as politically toxic," they write. 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.
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