For decades, the White House has relied on a procedural tactic to appoint current Members of Congress to Cabinet-level positions by rolling back the salary to the amount that was set at the start of the lawmaker’s term. The Senate can later address the disparity in a vote when the former lawmaker’s term would have expired. Salazar’s Senate term would have been up in January 2012 had he remained in Congress.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
