Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, made a false accusation against House Republicans, claiming they attempted to give themselves a pay raise during a debate over a stopgap spending bill. DeLauro’s claim was met with pushback from House Republicans, who refuted the allegation.
DeLauro alleged that House Republicans had amended the Senate bill to provide themselves with a pay raise. She argued that this was a significant change between the House and Senate versions of the bill. However, her claim was incorrect, and House Republicans quickly countered her statement.
Rep. Austin Scott, a Republican from Georgia, refuted DeLauro’s claim by citing the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that any changes to the compensation of members of Congress cannot take effect until after an election of Representatives. Scott emphasized that DeLauro’s statement was untrue and an excuse not to vote for the spending bill.
In the end, the House passed the short-term spending bill, moving it to the Senate. The bill aimed to avoid a government shutdown, and its passage marked a rare moment of bipartisanship in the House. It was clarified that the bill did not include a pay raise for members of Congress, as falsely claimed by Rep. DeLauro.