House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., said Friday the idea of increasing House lawmaker salaries should be revisited.
“I think that it ought to be looked at because, in the end, we all want to work as hard as possible for whatever the job pays, but we all want to recognize too that this shouldn’t just be a place where the independently wealthy are the only ones who can afford to run for Congress,” Scalise told reporters on Capitol Hill.
The House has voted against a cost-of-living adjustment every year since 2009, freezing their own pay so it has not kept pace with inflation, despite the financial pressures associated with living part-time in Washington, D.C., and their home districts. The base salary for members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year, while those in leadership positions earn $193,400. The House speaker gets paid $223,500. The topic of pay hikes is usually broached during Congress’ annual appropriations season, which is currently underway. However, the topic is politically fraught given the negative optics.
“Look at how many members live in their office and sleep in their office. Ultimately, we shouldn’t make pay a political football. It ought to be debated honestly, like everything else, and fully disclosed,” Scalise said Friday.
Scalise was asked about the issue after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told the Associated Press this week that it had been “more than a decade” since salaries had been raised.
“I’ve got members who are leaving over this,” McCarthy said.
