WP: Gabrielle Giffords discussed budget cuts, health care in last interview (on Fox) before attack

[1776Forever]

Gabrielle Giffords discussed budget cuts, health care in last interview before attack
By Felicia Sonmez

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2011/01/reports-arizona-rep-gabrielle.html

Updated: 6:05 p.m.

Giffords' last national television interview before Saturday's attack was with Fox News Channel's Bill Hemmer on Friday. In the four-minute interview, Giffords discussed her proposal for a 5 percent pay cut for members of Congress and her support for the House's recent move to cut committee and legislative office operating budgets by 5 percent. She also touched on the ongoing debate over the national health care overhaul.

"It was great political theater to look at some of these town halls," Giffords said of the summer 2009 town hall meetings on health care. "I had very passionate town halls in southern Arizona. But the reality is that this Congress, for example, passed a bipartisan $600 million border security funding bill in August. ... There were a lot of bipartisan bills that passed."

Updated: 5:40 p.m.

Giffords's husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, flew Saturday afternoon on a private plane from Houston to Tucson, according to a NASA spokesman. The plane was not a NASA jet, according to the spokesman.

Kelly is living and training in Houston and is set to command STS-134, a Space Shuttle Endeavour mission scheduled to launch on April 1.

(Video at link)

[ChazII]

1. She calls herself a Blue Dog Democrat. n/t

[alp227]

2. Press release from her office

January 6, 2011
Congresswoman introduces legislation to cut pay of all members of Congress by 5 percent

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today introduced legislation that would cut her own salary and that of her colleagues in the House and Senate by 5 percent.

If approved, it would be the first time in nearly 78 years that members of Congress have taken a pay cut.

“The House today voted to cut the office budgets for members of Congress by 5 percent,” said Giffords. “I strongly support that cut. But our salaries should not be exempt. Members of Congress must set an example and there’s no better way to do that than by cutting our own salaries.”

Cutting the salaries of members of Congress is supported by numerous taxpayer groups, like Americans for Tax Reform, Citizens Against Government Waste and the National Taxpayers Union.

More: http://giffords.house.gov/2011/01/us-rep-gabrielle-giffords-wants-members-of-congress-to-cut-their-own-salaries.shtml

The 27th Amendment deals with legislator pay: "No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened."

My take: I think I've heard some on DU complaining about overpaid politicians. I think that legislator pay cuts is something that people of all political views can agree on in this crummy economy.