Federal Judge Rules Congressional Pay Freeze Unconstitutional

A federal judge ruled that members of Congress cannot block cost-of-living pay adjustments for themselves. The decision found the practice of lawmakers preventing automatic salary increases unconstitutional. Lawmakers have continued to pursue measures that would stop the adjustments even after the ruling. The adjustments are designed to account for inflation and rising living costs.

Federal law provides for annual cost-of-living adjustments to congressional salaries unless lawmakers vote to block them. Members of Congress have repeatedly voted to forgo the increases in recent years. The recent court decision addressed whether these repeated blocks violate constitutional requirements.

The ruling applies to the mechanism used to prevent the adjustments from taking effect. No specific effective date for resumed adjustments was stated in the decision. Further legislative or legal steps may follow.