Perry: Cut Congress Salaries in Half

He also wants Supreme Court term limits as part of overhaul plan
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 15, 2011 12:12 PM CST
Rick Perry Wants to Create Citizen Congress by Cutting Salaries in Half
Texas Gov. Rick Perry waits to speak in Bettendorf, Iowa, on Monday.   (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Rick Perry unveiled his plan to "uproot and overhaul" DC today during a speech in Iowa in which he played up the "Washington outsider" theme. Highlights from AP, Politico, and USA Today:

  • Create a "citizen" Congress by cutting the $174,000 salary in half and allowing representatives to have other jobs; salaries would get halved again if the budget is not balanced by 2020
  • Cut the president's $400,000 salary in half until the budget is balanced
  • Institute 18-year term limits for new Supreme Court justices and federal judges; no more lifetime appointments
  • Freeze and review all federal regulations put in place by President Obama since 2008

  • Eliminate the Departments of Commerce, Education, and, yes, Energy; privatize Homeland Security; and restructure the EPA
  • Require that any tax increase get a two-thirds majority vote in Congress
  • Jail any congressman or senator who profits in the stock market from insider knowledge
(More Rick Perry 2012 stories.)

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