Willie Hefner: “last evening we had a very contentious debate on the previous question and on the rule on this legislation. It was…”

“last evening we had a very contentious debate on the previous question and on the rule on this legislation. It was pretty much of a stretch, but we had something that was passed out to Members from the National Republican Congressional Committee, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), to Democrats, saying: ``We will be watching whether you vote to increase your own pay. National Republican Congressional Committee chairman John Linder issued a strong warning to House Democrats: We will be watching how you vote tonight on the Treasury, Postal Service appropriation rule. Linder said anyone voting against a procedural motion is unequivocally voting to give themselves a pay raise. A raise, Linder noted, would not be taken well by constituents, too many of whom are juggling two jobs trying to make ends meet. If Democrats want to block this motion so they can get a raise, so be it, but tomorrow I guarantee every newspaper in their district will know about it. Now, I understand politics pretty good. I have been here some 24 years, and pay has always been a contentious issue in this body.”