He's not alone: AOC and others have argued lawmakers should be paid more in order to protect against corruption and make the job more accessible.

Rank-and-file members of both the House and Senate are paid $174,000 a year.

That probably seems like a decent amount of money, and it is: The median household income in 2022 was $74,580, according to the US Census.

But consider that members of Congress generally have to maintain two residences — one in Washington, DC, and one in their home state — and that they haven’t gotten a raise since 2009.

Inflation, meanwhile, has eaten away at the value of that salary over time: If lawmakers’ salaries had kept pace with inflation, they would be paid over $250,000 today.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican who served as the interim speaker of the House following Kevin McCarthy’s ouster, told The Dispatch that congressional pay needed to be raised in order to attract “credible people to run for office.”

  • Dukeofdummies
    73•1 year ago

    You know genuinely I don’t understand why this isn’t a thing. It’s expensive to have two homes, especially when you aren’t even sure you’ll have the job for more than four years. It would lower the cost of entry into politics for people who do work minimum wage.

    Shoving someone into a land full of surprise expenses seems like a perfect recipe for corruption.

    • @Wrench
      41•1 year ago

      It would lower the cost of entry into politics for people who do work minimum wage.

      It sounds like you understand perfectly well. Politics is for rich people to get more power, and get richer by granting favors to their friends. “Public servant” is the lie they tell to make us feel good about it.

      Yes, I know that there are the few modest politicians, but it’s the exception to the rule.

      • Dukeofdummies
        3•1 year ago

        Even 2 apartments are expensive, I remember AOC was having trouble finding one in DC