Are the Senate and House of Representatives Getting Paid
The claim: The 'Founding Fathers' wanted Congress to exist paid per diem to prevent greed and corruption
Equally decade-former claims nigh the fictitious "Congressional Reform Act" resurface on social media, misinformation almost congressional abuse is trending.
A Facebook post on April sixteen describes how congressional pay practices have strayed from the Founding Fathers' vision.
"The Founding Fathers only paid the senators and representatives a 'per diem' amount when in session," the post says. "(The) Founding Fathers knew if Congress were ever to be paid salaries (which they could vote to increase themselves), then Congress would no longer exist 'of the people' only rather 'to a higher place the people.' They wanted those in Congress to be subject to the same economical and financial weather condition as the rest of the nation based upon the laws they passed."
Fact-checking website Snopes debunked the claim in August 2019.
The Constitution dictates that members of Congress should receive some form of compensation. Although the offset Congress was paid per diem, the Constitution did non stipulate whether this compensation should exist per diem, meaning "by the day" in Latin, salaried or otherwise.
"The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United states of america," Article I, Section vi of the Constitution says.
Snopes said the public establish the original $6 per diem pay extravagant. Most members of the first Congress had other occupations and weren't consistently in attendance during the few months Congress met, so per diem pay made sense.
The assertion that the "Founding Fathers" fabricated this decision to foreclose greed and corruption is inaccurate speculation. The term "of the people" was coined past President Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address in 1863 – non by the framers of the Constitution in 1787.
The first Congress was concerned nearly controlling lawmakers' power to increase their own pay, but that concern was non specific to salaried pay.
Lawmakers proposed an subpoena to prevent Congress from increasing its own bounty, but the amendment was not ratified by us at the time. It wasn't until 1992 that Congress adopted the 27th Amendment: "No law, varying the bounty for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall accept intervened."
Congressional pay has inverse throughout history
The kickoff members of the Business firm and Senate were paid $6 per solar day, which translates to roughly $176 today. Members of Congress received $half-dozen-$8 per diem until 1855, with i brief exception.
In March 1816, Congress controversially voted to move to an almanac $one,500 salary. Supporters argued salaried pay would prevent Congress from dragging out sessions to maximize daily earnings.
The new salary surpassed $6 per diem earnings, which had amounted to roughly $900 per year for regularly attending members. In response to public outrage, Congress reinstated the $6 per diem, and many members were voted out in the next ballot.
"Nearly four decades would laissez passer, until 1855, before senators and representatives finally received an almanac salary," the Senate website says. "What did they get? $3,000 – roughly equivalent to the salary of a good government clerk."
Congressional pay has remained salaried and gradually increased since then.
What Congress members are paid
Most senators and representatives receive a $174,000 almanac salary. The speaker of the Business firm earns $223,500 per yr, and the majority and minority leaders receive a bacon of $193,400.
These salaries have not inverse since 2009.
The "Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Cursory (2018)" addresses many points of confusion that have historically surrounded congressional pay:
"Members of Congress receive salaries only during the terms for which they are elected. They do not receive salaries beyond their terms of function. Members of Congress practice not receive additional compensation for service on committees, and they are non eligible for housing or per diem allowances for expenses incurred in Washington, DC. Finally, neither Members of Congress nor their families are exempt from the repayment of educatee loans."
Our ruling: False
We rate the claim that the "Founding Fathers" encouraged per diem congressional pay to prevent corruption FALSEconsidering information technology is not supported past our research. Although the first Congress was paid per diem, the Constitution does not stipulate how members of Congress should exist compensated.
Our fact-check sources:
- USA TODAY, " Fact Check: No evidence president asked United states citizens to share 'The Trump Rules' on social media"
- Facebook Post
- Snopes
- The U.S. Constitution
- Session Dates of Congress
- Transcript of Gettysburg Accost
- U.S. Business firm of Representatives, "Historical Highlights: the 27th Amendment"
- U.S. Firm of Representatives Printing Gallery, "Salaries"
- U.S. Senate, salaries since 1789
- OfficialData.org
- U.Southward. Senate, "Salary Storm"
- Congressional Inquiry Service, "Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Brief (2018)"
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Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/05/06/fact-check-social-media-post-gets-wrong-congressional-pay/5170639002/
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