Sequestration Exemption

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will take a pay cut because of this year's $85 billion in automatic spending cuts, including about 750,000 at the Pentagon alone. Air traffic control towers are being closed, unemployment benefits are being reduced and the White House has even cancelled tours.

Congressional offices aren't escaping the sequester. They've had to reduce office budgets, and some members have said they may have to lay off staff.

But lawmakers themselves won't take a pay cut because member pay is completely exempted from the sequester.

  The Hill

Of course it is.

The Reagan-era law exempted some programs from the sequester, including elements of Social Security, interest on the debt and federal Pell grants. (The law also exempts the president’s pay, which is the reason President Obama’s pay won’t be hit by the sequester.)

Congressional salaries are not explicitly exempted, but according to experts familiar with the issue, the law was written in way that makes them exempt. For example, the law says federal “accounts” are subject to the sequester, and defines “accounts” as items that are appropriated by Congress.

Lawmaker salaries are not appropriated by Congress, so they don't get treated as an account for the purposes of sequestration.

[...]

Congress did not appear to try to amend the way the sequester works when it passed the Budget Control Act, probably because few thought the sequester would happen.

Yeah, sure. That’s why.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.