マスク氏、議員給与引き上げ支持に転換

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米政府の縮小をドナルド・トランプ大統領に任された実業家のイーロン・マスク氏は２７日、汚職を防ぐ手段として、連邦議会議員の給与を引き上げるべきだと語った。（写真は、米メリーランド州で開催された保守政治行動会議〈ＣＰＡＣ〉年次総会で、登壇するイーロン・マスク氏）
　マスク氏は自らが所有するＸ（旧ツイッター）に「議会や政府高官の報酬の引き上げは、汚職を減らすために理にかなっているかもしれない。汚職による公的損失は、場合によってはその１０００倍も高くつく可能性があるからだ」と投稿した。
　マスク氏は公式には顧問にすぎないが、いわゆる政府効率化省（ＤＯＧＥ）のトップとして、連邦支出と官僚制度を縮小するための巨大な権限をトランプ氏から与えられている。
　共和、民主両党の議員は、大幅な給与引き上げがもたらす国民への印象を警戒することが多いが、競争力給与こそが、経済的に不利な人々が公職に就くことを可能にする最良の方法だということを認めている。
　マスク氏が昨年１２月、阻止に関与した短期的な政府予算案の最初の草案では、物価高騰による生活費の上昇分を賃金に上乗せする「生活費調整（ＣＯＬＡ）」を議員給与に再導入することで給与引き上げが認められる予定だった。
　議会は２００９年以来毎年この調整を阻止している。
　マスク氏は、この条項が４０％の過剰な昇給につながると誤った主張をし、反対の立場を取った。その結果、この条項は法案から削除された。
　米連邦議員の年収は１５年間、１７万４０００ドル（約２６００万円）に据え置かれているが、それでもなお平均世帯収入を大きく上回っている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/02/28-16:54）

Elon Musk, the billionaire appointed by President Donald Trump to downsize the US government, suggested Thursday that members of Congress should get salary increases as a way to discourage corruption.
Although the tech billionaire is officially only an advisor, Trump has bestowed him with enormous power to cut federal spending and bureaucracy, as part of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
It might make sense to increase compensation for Congress and senior government employees to reduce the forcing function for corruption, as the latter might be as much as 1,000 times more expensive to the public, Musk posted on his social media platform X.
Lawmakers in both parties are typically wary of the optics of large pay rises but acknowledge that competitive salaries are the best way of ensuring that the less well-off can serve.
The first draft of a short-term government funding bill that Musk helped defeat in December would have allowed for a modest salary increase by reenacting an automatic cost-of-living adjustment for lawmakers.
Congress has been blocking the adjustments every year since 2009.
Musk argued against the provision, claiming falsely that it would mean a lavish 40 percent rise, and it was removed from the package.
The real increase for members of both chambers would have been about $6,600 per year, or 3.8 percent.
Their $174,000 annual salary has been frozen for 15 years but is still far more than the average household income.
Musk, the world's richest person, spoke about the controversial DOGE program at Trump's first cabinet meeting Wednesday.
If we don't do this, America will go bankrupt, the tech tycoon said, adding that he was taking a lot of flak, and getting a lot of death threats.
- 'Musk in charge' -
One-third of his DOGE staff resigned in protest on Tuesday after he engineered a mass email to the federal government's two million workers, ordering them to justify their work.
Cabinet members have voiced frustration over the DOGE emails, according to US media, but Trump insisted that his team was thrilled with Musk.
The operation has been shrouded in mystery, with the government only naming its administrator this week, after weeks of DOGE announcements of firings, aid freezes and other cuts that angered critics.
Amy Gleason, a former official at the US Digital Service, is the acting DOGE administrator, a White House official said, without revealing when she was formally appointed.
The White House argued in a court filing last week that Musk doesn't even work for DOGE, let alone lead it, despite Trump repeatedly implying that Musk is in charge.
I signed an order creating the Department of Government Efficiency and put a man named Elon Musk in charge, Trump said in a speech in Miami as recently as last week. Thank you, Elon, for doing it.
Musk -- who was not accompanied by Gleason -- met Republicans in the Senate's DOGE Caucus at the White House on Thursday to brief them on the task force's work.
Mike Lee, a hardline Trumpist, posted on social media that Musk had clarified that DOGE personnel have no authority to fire federal workers or cancel federal contracts or payments.
Rather, they make recommendations to department heads and other executive-branch personnel who have such authority, he added.
Those most inclined to demagogue @DOGE are attributing to @DOGE authority it does not have.