WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-controlled House has cut its own budget by 5 percent as a symbolic down payment on a promise to wrestle the budget deficit under control.
Lawmakers say the step shows they are leading by example as they look ahead to fulfilling a promise to return most domestic accounts to the levels in effect before President Barack Obama took office.
But the accounts they cut by 5 percent to produce $35 million in budget savings have gone up by more than double that since the 2008 budget year. The budgets for the office expenses and staff salaries for rank-and-file lawmakers have gone up 14 percent since 2008, while expenses for congressional committees and leadership offices have increased by smaller amounts.
