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.”

  • linearchaos@lemmy.worldEnglish
    591·
    11 months ago

    I am completely down with paying Congress a shit ton of money, but we’re going to need a zero tolerance policy on bribery and lobbying.

    You’re not going to get CEO payment and tips.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
      12·
      11 months ago

      And zero tolerance - as in NO tolerance whatsoever - on insider trading.

      Not ONE of them should be allowed to put anything into the market, except for some kind of automatic payments steadily pushed (NOT timed) into index funds only. And they’ll be told that ALL of their contacts and friends and family will be very closely watched. All of their communications can be pulled by the SEC if need be if their is any suspicion of them giving insider information to anyone else. And it’s one strike, and you are out. You are removed from office and do prison time if found guilty of this.

      The American people are so sick of this stuff. The dishonest right wing talks about the likes of Pelosi, well guess what, she can rot in prison too if she violates these proposed rules. The fact is plenty of Republicans are doing it. But the problem is right now it’s legal.

      • linearchaos@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        11 months ago

        Yeah I mean, they’re still going to find some ways to profit off the position but we can at least make a solid attempt to keep them from doing it. Thing is there’s a lawmakers there’s no way they’re going to ever agree to it.

    • elrik@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      It should also be tied to a multiplier on minimum wage or median income in their home state. You want a pay increase, you better be making life better for the majority of your constituents.