Hanabusa Still Wants Pay Cut

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa emailed supporters on Thursday, asking them to sign a petition that urges a 5 percent cut to congressional salaries.

Right now, members of Congress make $174,000 per year. The Congressional Pay Cut Act would shave $8,700 off of their annual salaries. It would save about $50 million over a decade, Hanabusa said. 

The bill has stalled for more than a year, but Hanabusa said it’s time to bring it back — in part to honor outgoing Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who introduced it.

“The savings are not huge, but Gabby was standing on principle; as leaders, as responsible public servants, we should be willing to sacrifice to solve our nation’s financial problems, just as we are asking others to do the same,” Hanabusa wrote. “I believe in this same principle.”

It’s not the first time Hanabusa has pushed for Congress to put its paychecks on the line. Hanabusa signed onto the measure in November, and said at the time that Congress needed to “lead by example.” Last summer, she supported a measure that would have halted payment to members of Congress if the government defaulted. 

Here’s a link to Hanabusa’s petition.