(LibertySociety.com) – With the House of Representatives now under a Republican majority, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) relinquished her gavel. Before giving up her position, however, the California lawmaker issued one of her final directives as the Democratic House majority head.
On December 30, Pelosi made a move to set the maximum salary for House staffers at $212,100. The lawmaker already raised the maximum to $203,700 in May while instituting a minimum at the time of $45,000 per year. During the initial increase, the former speaker said she wanted the maximum pay to match that of Senate staffers.
Nancy Pelosi boosts maximum pay for House staff to $212,000 as she ends speakership #PelosisTaxReturnshttps://t.co/M3l9BUnyxk
— Real Hamlet Garcia (@Hamletgarcia17) December 31, 2022
In her new pay order, Pelosi stated an increase in pay was essential to attracting and keeping the “brightest minds” to serve on Capitol Hill. The seasoned politician said the bump brings the maximum in line with other executive branch levels within the Biden administration.
According to Fox News, there used to be no rules regarding staffers’ salaries, resulting in a wide array of pay. Pelosi stated in a letter that without “hard-working congressional staffers,” the House could not function, so she found it necessary to offer a salary that would help build a strong workforce for elected members of Congress.
The directive means staff member pay could potentially exceed those of the lawmakers they work for, some of whom make the minimum base salary of $174,000. According to an August 2022 report from the Congressional Research Service, members of Congress have not seen an increase in pay since 2009.
What do you think of the new levels of pay?
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