When Republicans take control of the House of Representatives next January they should kick things off by cutting lawmaker salaries. The move would not only save money but demonstrate to taxpayers that their representatives in Washington are ready to sacrifice alongside the American people.

The base salary for members of both the House of Representatives and United States Senate is $174,000. Leaders of both the minority and majority receive a base salary of $193,400 per year. The speaker of the House actually receives quite a bit more: $223,500.

It’s not going to fix the deficit, of course, but that’s not the intent. A salary cut would demonstrate that Republicans are serious about downsizing the scale of the cost of government and are willing to personally sacrifice in pursuit of doing just that.