By Thomas McKinless and Rema Rahman

Rep. Alcee L. Hastings took another shot at advocating for an unpopular cause when he argued to Legislative Branch committee leaders that in addition to staff, members of Congress should be getting a salary hike. Hastings made the same case before the same House Rules committeeconsidering the Legislative Branch spending bill last year. House members recently decided to pump up the amount in each members is allowed to have in an effort to offer potential salary increases for staff — something the chamber hasn’t done since 2010. Hastings, citing his own struggles with paying the high cost of rent in the District of Columbia said members, whose average salary is $174,000, need help with cost of living too. [ ]