It’s official: Members of Congress won’t get a pay bump this year
In a recent turn of events, lawmakers in the United States will continue to earn a salary of $174,000 as their pay remains frozen for yet another year. This decision came as part of a bill signed by President Donald Trump to fund the government and end the longest shutdown in American history. While the bill secures government funding through January 30, it ensures that Congressional salaries will not see a cost-of-living adjustment, a benefit that most other federal employees receive annually. This provision has been a staple in government funding bills for the past 16 years, reflecting a conscious choice by Congress to maintain its salary structure amidst various economic pressures.
The freeze on Congressional salaries has sparked discussions among lawmakers about the implications of such a decision. Some, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, have expressed concerns that the stagnant pay could deter qualified individuals from pursuing public office. Johnson noted that the lack of salary increases since 2009 could lead to a decline in the quality of candidates willing to sacrifice their financial stability for a role in Congress. This sentiment is echoed by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who emphasized the need for compensation that reflects the realities of living in Washington, D.C. and the demands of the job. If Congress had not blocked these cost-of-living adjustments, lawmakers’ salaries would have increased to approximately $221,600, according to the Congressional Research Service, highlighting the growing disparity between their pay and inflation.
The context surrounding this salary freeze is significant, especially considering the backdrop of the recent government shutdown that left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay and disrupted essential services, including air travel and food assistance programs. Lawmakers are acutely aware of the optics of increasing their salaries during such crises, which has contributed to their reluctance to accept pay raises. Last year, a proposed government funding package nearly included a modest pay increase for Congress, but it was ultimately thwarted by public backlash, including criticism from high-profile figures like Elon Musk. As the debate continues, the question remains whether Congress will eventually reconsider its approach to compensation, especially if it hopes to attract a diverse and capable pool of candidates in the future.
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The bill to reopen the government kept lawmakers’ salaries frozen at $174,000 a figure that hasn’t budged since 2009.
Tom Brenner/Getty Images
The salaries for most members of Congress will remain frozen at $174,000 for another year.
The bill to reopen the government included a provision that prevents a cost-of-living increase.
Lawmakers almost enacted a modest pay bump last year, but were thwarted by Elon Musk and others.
If you’re a member of Congress
hoping for a raise
, you’ll have to wait at least another year.
The vast majority of House and Senate members will continue to earn an annual salary of
$174,000
— a figure that hasn’t budged since 2009 — after President
Donald Trump
signed a bill to fund the government and end the
longest shutdown in American history
.
While the bill only keeps the entirety of the government funded through January 30, it includes funding for the legislative branch for the entire fiscal year, which ends after September 30 of next year.
That portion of the bill contained language that blocked an automatic cost-of-living adjustment — something most other federal employees receive each year.
“I would like to see how well that would go over if we did that to all federal employees,” Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia told BI in July. “I mean, do you think that would survive?”
A version of that provision has been included in every annual government funding bill over the last 16 years.
On the one hand, it’s to be expected. It would be an optics nightmare for lawmakers to allow their salaries to increase on the heels of a shutdown that left
hundreds of thousands working without pay
, caused
air travel chaos
, and eventually threatened
SNAP payments
.
At the same time, it means that lawmakers’ salaries will continue to not keep pace with inflation, which some argue limits the pool of people who run for office and incentivizes lawmakers to leave Congress to cash in on their service.
Something Mike Johnson and AOC can agree on
Members of Congress from both parties have acknowledged, in one way or another, that they may not be getting paid enough.
Earlier this year, House Speaker Mike Johnson — who, due to his title, makes $223,500 rather than the $174,000 earned by his rank-and-file colleagues — indicated his sympathy to the argument while discussing his
opposition to stock trading
in Congress.
“Look, you know, the salary of Congress has been frozen since 2009,” Johnson said in May. “Over time, if you stay on this trajectory, you’re going to have less qualified people who are willing to make the extreme sacrifice to run for Congress.”
That puts him on the same page as Democratic Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
of New York.
“If we want working class people who don’t rely on independent wealth, to represent people in Congress, we have to make it work,” Ocasio-Cortez told BI last year.
If Congress hadn’t proactively blocked cost-of-living adjustments each year since 2009, the salary for rank-and-file lawmakers would be $221,600, according to the Congressional Research Service.
That’s despite the unique demands placed upon lawmakers, especially having to maintain two residences: One in their home state, and another in Washington, DC.
Last year, lawmakers almost got a modest pay bump. A package of government funding bills would have allowed the cost-of-living increase to go through for the first time since 2009, which would have increased rank-and-file lawmakers’ salaries by up to $6,600.
Then,
Elon Musk
and others
helped tank that bill
, in large part by arguing that it gave members of Congress a larger raise than it actually did.
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