Cashing In On Ethics

Last February Congress tried to give itself a hefty raise by playing the political equivalent of three-card monte: let the 51% increase recommended by a special commission go into effect, then appease constituents by voting against it, and keep the cash. But scandal-weary voters saw through the game, and the pay hike for Congressmen, federal judges and skilled federal employees died a humiliating death. Ever since, the search has been on for a more palatable proposal. Last week there were indications from House Speaker Thomas Foley and aides to President Bush that new ideas for boosting top Government salaries were in the offing, but they would be tied to radical reforms of the way Congress does its business.

The President is readying a package of reforms to fulfill his campaign pledge to improve Government ethics. The sweetener for Congress would be a pay raise, though Bush is unlikely to specify an amount. In exchange, Bush would probably call for a ban on speaking fees and strict limits on the use of campaign funds for office or personal expenses. He might call for an outright ban on political-action committees that are connected to labor or business groups. To head off a congressional outcry about the lost sources of campaign funds, the President may propose raising the $1,000 limit on individual political contributions to candidates.

Foley is thinking along similar lines. Several proposals for limiting honorariums (as lucrative speaking fees paid by special-interest groups are euphemistically labeled) are being considered by a bipartisan House panel. The plan considered most likely to succeed would gradually phase out speaking fees as House and Senate salaries increased from their present level of $89,500. Thus a 7% pay raise would be accompanied by a 7% lowering in the earnings allowed from speeches, which at present are 30% of salary for a House member and 40% for a Senator.

Foley also suggests that the traditional linking of Government salaries should be ended, and judicial and Executive pay be considered separately from that of legislators. In that, he is responding to pressure from judges and the White House, which has expressed concern about the departures of several highly skilled professionals, particularly from NASA and the National Institutes of Health. The latest loss: H. Robert Heller, a member of the Federal Reserve Board, who resigned last week, citing his stagnant pay.