As federal departments and agencies deal with automatic budget cuts and the possibility of furloughs for federal workers, those forced pay cuts have now arrived on Capitol Hill, as Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) became the first lawmaker to officially announce staff furloughs due to the $85 billion sequester.
"Begich’s staff began mandatory furloughs in mid-March and more than half of his staff will experience a cut in their salary this year," said a press release issued by Begich's office on Wednesday.
The same release also said that Begich would be returning some of his salary to the Treasury to match the highest number of furlough days experienced by his own staff, a move like that of President Obama and the Secretary of Defense.
While several lawmakers like Begich have previously said they would give up pay because of the sequester, the announcement of his staff furloughs seems to be the first official notice of forced days off without pay for those working directly for lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate.
"We need to be making responsible cuts wherever we can and there is no reason that members of Congress shouldn't feel the pinch like everyone else," Begich was quoted in his news release.
As this blog detailed in recent weeks, just like the varied impact of sequester cuts across the federal government, not every lawmaker will have to make cuts and/or furlough staff in order to deal with smaller office budgets - but it will likely be more than just this one Senator from Alaska.
As for whether more lawmakers will follow the lead of Begich, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and others in returning some of their pay, that answer is not as clear.
The Constitution does not allow a formal pay cut for either the President or lawmakers during a session of Congress, but that doesn't stop anyone from voluntarily returning money to the Treasury.
I asked some Republicans in Congress yesterday if they would join the President, and the answer was a flat 'No.'
But after sleeping on it, one lawmaker told me this morning he shouldn't have been "so quick to say no."
In other words, maybe the President's decision will put some pressure on individual lawmakers to do the same.
The House and Senate return to work next week. We'll see if that brings some voluntary pay cuts from members of the House and Senate.
