Congressman's Lament: $174,000 Isn't Enough To Make Ends Meet

Photo Credit: J. Scott Applewhite / AP

In what world does an annual salary of $174,000 meet the definition of underpaid?

That would be in the nation’s capital, where soon-to-be-retired Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., said Americans should know that their members of Congress — as the board of directors for the “largest economic entity in the world” — are underpaid.

The longtime congressman made his comments Thursday after the House voted for the sixth straight year to deny members an automatic cost-of-living raise they’re entitled to under law.

Not surprisingly, reaction to Moran’s assertion was swift and derisive.

“Tone deaf,” wrote Daniel Doherty at the conservative Town Hall website.