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Article snippet: Lawmakers say that any effort to give members of Congress a raise won’t pass unless both parties agree not to use the issue as a campaign weapon. While no such agreement has been ironed out, there is a chance that there will be a bipartisan deal struck at some point this year. Proponents of the pay hike acknowledge it’s not popular but argue that it is long overdue. The effort got a significant boost Tuesday when House Minority Leader MORE (R-Calif.) offered support for a pay bump, saying he doesn’t want Congress to be a place where only the wealthy can afford to serve. Freshman progressive Rep. MORE (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, forcefully made a case to her nearly 4.5 million Twitter followers, defending giving members of Congress the cost-of-living adjustment. That came after House Democratic leaders pulled a spending bill from the floor on Monday that would allow lawmakers to get a pay raise for the first time in a decade. At a press conference, McCarthy acknowledged the political sensitivity of a congressional raise but said it’s something legislators should consider. “I know when you talk this subject about a COLA, a cost-of-living increase, it does an invoke an emotion — kind of an impulsive emotion. I think it’s one we should pause and look at,” McCarthy said. House Majority Leader MORE (D-Md.), who has long advocated for giving lawmakers a cost-of-living adjustment, has been in talks with McCarthy on the matter. Hoyer said Tuesday that he still intends to schedul... Link to the full article to read more