Barely two weeks after being sworn in, Senators of the 53rd Legislature are pushing for higher pay and more benefits as Senator John Ballout of Maryland County grumbled over budgetary disparity between the Senate and the House of Representatives.

“President Pro-Tempore and members of the Liberian Senate, I am pleased to draw your attention to what I consider as the inappropriate distribution of budgetary allocation between the Lower House and the Upper House,” according a portion of Sen. Ballout’s communication read in plenary Tuesday.

But reading of the communication was aborted after some senators restricted its discussion to a closed-door session.

According to reliable sources at the legislature, the current legislative budget allots similar salaries and benefits to both the Senate and the House.

But a source at the Senate revealed to New Democrat that full reading of Senator Ballout’s letter in a secret session in order to avoid a “possible public outcry,” noted that their allotted pay and benefits in the budget was not “befitting to their status.”

“We resolved that our pay and allowances be increased to US$4,000 per month. Yes you cannot place us in the same category with the House. We should make more than what they are making,” our source said, in strict demand for anonymity.

The source further revealed that both Sen. Ballout and Sen. Dan Morias argued behind closed doors pressing the need for them to earn more pay because they (senators) control larger constituencies than lawmakers in the House of Representatives.

“The two of them told plenary that they are not happy with the budgetary allotment. They want more money because they have larger constituencies,” our source said.

No Senator was willing to confirm or deny these claims as majority of those contacted declined commenting on the issue.

“I can’t tell the press what is discussed behind closed doors at the Senate,” one of them told journalists.