Speaker Pelosi Issues Pay Order, Requires Minimum $45k Annual Salary for House Staff
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Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced Friday that the House of Representatives will now require House staffers earn a minimum annual salary of $45,000 and expanded the pay cap to $203,700. Effective September 1, 2022, the rule comes months after a report from the non-profit Issue One found that over 12 percent of congressional staffers do not earn a living wage.
The new rule establishes a minimum salary floor for House staff after decades of no salary guarantee on Capitol Hill, with the recent 21 percent increase to Congressmembers' Representational Allowance set to cover the pay adjustment.
According to the Speaker, the purpose of the rule is to retain talent—a major concern for employers in the federal government given falling competitiveness in contrast to private sector jobs.
“With a competitive minimum salary, the House will better be able to retain and recruit excellent, diverse talent. Doing so will open the doors to public service for those who may not have been able to afford to do so in the past,” Speaker Pelosi wrote.
As previously reported by FEDmanager, the living wage in Washington, D.C. according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is $42,610 for an adult without children. Entry-level positions on Capitol Hill often offer salaries between $30,000 and $40,000 per year, an insufficient to afford a studio apartment, to say nothing of other essentials.
Moreover, the House will vote next week on a measure introduced by Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI) with 165 co-sponsors recognizing the right of congressional workers to organize. House staffers will have the option of joining a union if that resolution passes.
“Congressional staffers deserve the same fundamental rights and protections as workers all across the country, including the right to bargain collectively,” Speaker Pelosi stated.
