Sen. Sherrod Brown: Politicians can wait on pensions
Chronicle Telegram – Saying it’s time that members of Congress accustomed to privilege and comfortable salaries should get a taste of the real world, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced Wednesday he will introduce legislation requiring them to wait until age 66 to collect their pensions.
“The message is very simple, it’s time for members of Congress to walk in the same shoes as working Americans,” Brown, D-Ohio, said during a noontime conference call with reporters from around the state.
Brown’s measure comes in the wake of a GOP-proposed budget plan for the federal government that seeks to substantially change Medicare by privatizing the government-backed health care system and “leaves the door open” Brown said, for raising the retirement age on Social Security to 69 or older.
“For a bunch of people who wear coats and ties and talk for a living to want to raise the retirement age is outrageous,” Brown said.
As it now stands, congressmen and senators can begin collecting their federal pensions as early as age 50 for anyone with 20 years of service or more, or at any age for someone with at least 25 years of service.
“Members of Congress receive healthy salaries and decent benefits at a time when too many Americans have seen their pensions and 401(k) plans disappear,” Brown said.
