House Agrees to Pay Raises for Congress

WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to let members of Congress receive $3,800 cost-of-living pay raises next year, underlining how the robust economy and surging federal surpluses have helped ease what has long been a sensitive political issue.

On a 250-173 vote, lawmakers signaled their assent to a 2.7% increase in their current $141,300 annual salaries that would take effect in January. Majorities of both Democrats and Republicans supported the raise, reflecting an agreement between party leaders not to attack each others’ incumbents over the issue.

It would be lawmakers’ third pay raise in four years and their second in a row. During this period, the economy has boomed and annual federal deficits have changed into ever-growing surpluses.

Members of Congress receive cost-of-living raises unless they vote to block them, a mechanism they established in a 1989 law.

Thursday’s procedural vote came during debate on a $29.1-billion bill financing the Treasury Department and some smaller agencies for fiscal 2001, which begins Oct. 1.