Capitol Hill staffers don’t have it easy. They’re overworked to the point of exhaustion, and they aren’t immune to the vagaries of the economy.

Entry-level Senate staffers earn $55,106 a year, according to the Congressional Research Service, while the House sets a $45,000 minimum salary for full-time aides — both well above the national average entry-level pay of $33,318. But inside the Capitol, the latest cost-of-living crisis isn’t rent or groceries. It’s caffeine.

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