WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), joined a group of 14 senators in a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), urging her to join the Senate in blocking the 2011 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for members of Congress.

"Ohio workers are more productive than ever, but too many are seeing their wages cut or their hours reduced," Brown said. "As Ohioans work to rebound from this economic downturn, the last thing we in Washington should do is give ourselves a raise."

Last Thursday, the Senate voted unanimously to block the automatic pay raise which would increase salaries by about $1,600.

Full text of the letter can be found below:

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
H-232, US Capitol
Washington, D.C., 20515

Dear Speaker Pelosi:

We urge you to promptly bring up for a vote S. 3244, legislation passed by the Senate last week to prevent members of Congress from receiving a pay increase next year.

We hope you will agree that, with so many Americans still looking for work or struggling to pay their bills, now is not the time for members of Congress to give themselves a $1,600 pay increase. We appreciate your efforts to prevent members of Congress from receiving a pay raise in 2010, and we urge you to ensure the same is true for 2011.

Thank you for considering our request.

Sincerely,

Russ Feingold (D-WI) Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Mark Begich (D-AK) Michael F. Bennet (D-CO)

Richard Burr (R-NC) Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

Blanche L. Lincoln (D-AR) Claire McCaskil (D-MO)

E. Benjamin Nelson (D- NE) Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)

Jon Tester (D-MT) Mark Udall (D-CO)

David Vitter (R-LA) Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

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