US Senator Tom Coburn and others say it's time to freeze their own pay

Tuesday, September 27th 2005, 6:51 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) --Oklahoma senator Tom Coburn says US lawmakers should forgo their pay raises for a few years to help pay for the hurricane recovery effort along the Gulf Coast.

Fiscal conservatives in both the House and Senate have included a pay freeze to help cope with a federal deficit expected to reach about $330-billion this year. It's expected to go up even more as the costs of rebuilding after hurricanes Katrina and Rita come in.

Senator Tom Coburn and other conservatives want to incorporate the pay freeze into a tax and spending bill that Congress may take up before the end of the year.

Coburn says that charity requires sacrifice. He says members of Congress could set a good example of charity by giving up their pay increase.