Wouldn’t it be nice to have some Paycheck left at the end of the month? Wouldn’t it be even nicer if you didn’t have to worry about your Paycheck at all? Well, that seems to be the situation for members of Congress. How is it possible that members of Congress don't have to worry about their own Paycheck?
Here are Five Fast Facts about Congressional Paychecks and perks:
- Straight Up - The official salaries of Congresspersons and Senators are set by law. Currently, the base is $174k per year, with leadership positions getting more, up to the $224k for Speaker of the House.
- As Perky As You Can Get - Congressional pay is perkier than the "scenery" at the Playboy mansion! They get special retirement plans, better health care plans than normal Americans, terrific air travel bonuses, and LOTS of vacation time. (They call their vacation “recess” but that has no connection to behaving like school children… no, definitely not.)
- All The Stuff - Each member of Congress also gets a generous allowance (translation: a PILE of taxpayer money) for things like office furnishings, equipment, travel, and staff (someone has to read all those laws, you know?). The average allowance for Senators is almost $4 million per year!
- Fundraising, Investments, And Luck…Oh My! And don't forget that any money raised during a campaign is theirs to keep once they leave office. Our personal favorite perk is the fact that they always seem to get “lucky” when it comes to investing. Of course, there are laws on the books to prevent insider trading, so that never, ever happens. 😉 Besides, it’s always the spouses or family members of Congresspeople who get “lucky” with investments, not them (and there are so many investments!).
- Comparing To The Peasants - Congressional salaries are roughly 2.5 times that of most Americans. More than half of Congress are millionaires (while only about 8% of normal Americans are millionaires). But there’s nothing to see here. Srsly.
🔥Bottom line: Yes, indeedy, it seems that the financial wellbeing of our elected “representatives” is doing just fine. But they aren’t getting rich off their salary. If that’s what you think then we’ve got some lovely grassy hills on the moon to sell you.
Do you think they are worth this price tag?
Guess what? Only Congress can modify Congress' salaries...but YOU decide if they get elected, and it starts with your local & state government reps! Here’s three small things you can do that make a BIG impact:
