Former Congressman Mark Foley may have stepped down in disgrace, but he will be eligible for his congressional pension no matter what, even if he faces jail time, according to Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayer's Union, a non-partisan taxpayer advocacy group.
"We estimate $32,000 annually, and that would begin at age 62," Sepp said. "And the pension will grow as the cost of living rises."
Foley was earning $165,200 annually, the standard salary of a House member, up until he resigned on Sept. 29 after ABC News questioned him about sexually explicit Internet messages with former congressional pages.
In May of this year, the House proposed legislation taking pensions away from members convicted of bribery and corruption, but that bill has been stalled in "conference negotiations" before going to the Senate, meaning that two recently convicted congressmen, Congressman Bob Ney, who is still collecting his full salary, and former Congressman Randall "Duke" Cunningham, will also get their pensions "no matter what," according to Sepp.
Foley and Ney's service records are almost identical. Ney will start with $29,000 annually, slightly lower than Foley's because he is married. Both can opt for a reduced pension starting at 56, which means they can start collecting their checks in just four years.
Cunningham, who is 64 and now in prison for accepting bribes, immediately began collecting $64,000 annually when he stepped down in November of 2005, after racking up twenty years of service in the military and Congress.
The House Clerk's press office did not return calls for comment.
You have just got to love this--a sitting congressman can be convicted of bribery, corruption, and perhaps even rape. Yet that same convicted congressman will always get their pension, even as they screwed the American people during their years of public service.
No comments:
Post a Comment