If you were a wide-eyed progressive Democrat coming to Washington to fight for the little guy, you were in for a rude awakening if you worked for Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal.
According to BuzzFeed, the Seattle-area Democrat has had one of the highest staff turnover rates in the House due to her habit of berating staff in front of others, demanding grueling hours, and maintaining an office culture “marked by constantly changing expectations and little tolerance for error.”
First elected to the House of Representatives on the same night President Donald Trump won in 2016, Jayapal has rapidly risen to power among the left-wing in her caucus by backing what were once considered radical policies, such as “Medicare for all” and the “Green New Deal.” Unfortunately for the young, idealistic staffers who come to work for Jayapal, her office management style doesn’t match her progressive rhetoric.
“If you were to divide it into an hourly wage, it would probably be like $12 to $15 an hour,” one former staffer told BuzzFeed about the pay offered to staffers asked to work long hours. “Which is not ideal when considering, like, we are advocating for a $15 minimum wage.”
And woe to the poor staffer charged with maintaining Jayapal’s busy schedule. That person gets blamed for everything, including “one instance when Jayapal blamed a staffer for the lawmaker’s personal weight gain because she did not have enough gym time on her schedule.”
Congress has exempted itself from the National Labor Relations Act, so Hill staff are not allowed to form unions to protect themselves from abusive employers like Jayapal, but some progressives have recently organized a Progressive Staff Association to provide solidarity and support. The PSA has no real power, but it can give advice to those looking for new jobs on the Hill.
Asked what they would say to someone looking for a job in Jayapal’s office? One former staffer replied, “Run in the other direction.”
