Dear Friend, 

When I took office, I declined a congressional pension because Members of Congress shouldn't be given special treatment. Our country is over $18 trillion in debt, yet congressmen receive special benefits unavailable to most in the private sector. If congressmen want to save for retirement, they should do so with 401(k)-type plans, rather than rely on taxpayers to take care of them even after leaving Congress.

That is why I am an original co-sponsor of Congressman Ron DeSantis' Ending Pensions in Congress (EPIC) Act. This legislation would end pensions for all future Members of Congress as well as those currently serving who are not yet vested into the congressional retirement plan.

Original co-sponsors include Reps. Rod Blum (R-IA), Trey Gowdy (R-SC), Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), and Reid Ribble (R-WI).

Here's what they had to say on this issue:

"The Founding Fathers envisioned elected officials as part of a servant class, yet Washington, DC has evolved into a ruling class culture,” Congressman Ron DeSantis said. “Pensions for Members of Congress represent an inappropriate use of taxpayer money, especially when the idea of a pension in the private sector is fast becoming a relic from a bygone era.  How can Congress make private sector employees pony up taxes to fund pensions for Members of Congress when few of these taxpayers enjoy such benefits?  As we begin this new Congress, we must focus on restoring accountability in Washington and this includes ending pensions for Members of Congress."

“Our political system was designed for Americans to be served by citizen legislators, not career politicians,” Congressman Reid Ribble said. “In a time when pensions are no longer available to the vast majority of people working in the private sector, it is wrong to ask taxpayers to subsidize this benefit for politicians. Cutting pensions is a responsible step that should have been taken long ago.”

To tackle out-of-control federal spending, Congress must lead by example by ending defined-benefit pensions for Members of Congress.

In Liberty, 

Congressman Thomas Massie