WASHINGTON -- Grassroots activists came to the Capitol Tuesday to whip up opposition to what they have branded an outrageously hypocritical plot to raise the pay of senators.
The demonstrators mishievously announced a drive for food and clothing 'to assist the apparently impoverished' senators, 27 of whom they contend are millionaires.
'Citizens are outraged at the hypocisy of yet another congressional pay grab,' Claire Riley, director of the Congressional Accountability Project, said at a news conference on the Capitol lawn.
Riley, an associate of consumer advocate Ralph Nader, belongs to a coalition opposed to a raise for senators, who now can supplement their $101,900 salary with $23,837 in honoraria, fees they get for writing articles and making speeches.
The coalition opposes efforts to raise Senate salaries to the $125, 100 earned by House members in exchange for banning honoraria.
'Rather than perpetuate greed and follow outrageous salary scales,' Riley said, 'the Senate could generate much-needed confidence in our representative government by halting the pay grab and gathering support to return House salaries to the Senate level.'
Trudy Pearce, a policy analyst at Citizens for Congressional Reform, said senators enjoy 'a bunch of perks thart make John Sununu's limo trips seem piddly.'
Pearce added, 'The truly ironic part of all this is that the pay raise is meant to make up for the loss in income from a proposed ban on honoraria, which all agree is unethical in the first place.'
The activists said they would deliver donated food and clothing to the offices of 'those senators supporting the pay raise and therefore obviously most in need of financial assistance.'
David Keating, executive vice president of the National Taxpayers Union, said, 'With the budget deficit for fiscal year 1992 now estimated at a record level $348 billion the Senate should reduce spending, not increase it.
'Just when the American public thought the issue of huge pay increases was settled, it's back,' Keating said. 'Some senators obviously hope to slip an 18 percent Senate pay raise through Congress when no one is looking.'
The House exchanged a ban on honoraria two years ago for a 30 percent pay raise, but the Senate rejected the trade and accepted a 9 percent raise and smaller honoraria.
The legislative apropriations bill is a likely vehicle to bring Senate pay to the House level and ban honoraria. Supporters are quietly gauging support, looking for the 51 votes they need for passage. Meanwhile, senators are lying low.
'They aren't anxious to take a position on this,' Riley said. 'It's to their advantage to sit on the fence.'
At the news conference, activists said they would try to force the lawmakers to take a public stance on the question of raising their pay by passing out handbills saying:
'Senator X is paid $101,900 a year. He has not opposed a $23,200 raise. Call him at (202) 224-3121 and tell him what you think.'
