U.S. Rep. Harry Teague, D-N.M., called today on members of Congress to take a pay cut; this would be the first salary reduction for members of Congress since before World War II.

The Taking Responsibility for Congressional Pay Act would cut the pay for Representatives and Senators by five percent this year and would also block any automatic increase of salary for the next year.

“In these tough economic times, it just doesn’t make sense for Congress to give itself a pay raise. Many of my constituents in southern New Mexico are finding ways to cut back and Congress needs to do the same,” said Teague in a press release.

The first bill that Teague sponsored when he became a member of Congress was to halt the automatic Congressional pay raises in fiscal year 2010. “It was the just the right thing to do,” said Teague.

“This new Congressional pay-cut bill is also the right thing to do, and it will effectively cut federal spending without impacting important programs,” Teague continued.

Teague, a freshman Democrat, will be facing former U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., this November in a re-election battle. Pearce left the seat to pursue a seat in the Senate — after a hotly contested primary against then-U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, Pearce lost to Tom Udall in the general election.