$174,000 salary not enough for congress

5,262 Views | 68 Replies | Last: 11 mo ago by Fireman
HollywoodBQ
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TTUArmy said:

If everyone was staying honest and only sticking with the salary we give them, I'd consider it. Politicians are on the take from all kinds of special interests and lobbyists. Hard pass.


Bechtel - I'm glad to see the Construction business represented.
The Kraken
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AggieMD95 said:

Pass a balanced budget. Then maybe a 5% raise.

GDP up over 5% get another 5% raise
Hell, give them all a 1 MM bonus.
plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose
LMCane
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HollywoodBQ said:

It's less than what most of us on TexAgs make (in Internet money).

Seriously though, I'd like to know what their total comp looks like.
Do they get housing allowances, staff, travel?
Do they get their Obamaphone reimbursed?
after a few terms in office they get a lifetime pension
LMCane
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and seeing as how I first moved to DC back in 1995 for law school, I am pretty expert on the housing market here.

yes, places are extremely expensive. but that's because AOC wants to live close enough to walk to work on Capitol Hill where property goes for a million dollars.

if they lived in Gaithersburg, or Germantown, or Northeast DC or PG County, then $174,000 is plenty of money to live on.
HollywoodBQ
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Can't imagine our Members of Congress taking the Red Line out to Rockville, MD.
oldag941
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Didn't Biden take the train to Delaware everyday as a Senator?
fixer
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Dan Scott said:


Patrick McHenry says $174K is not enough and a higher salary would attract more credible people.

Like everyone else...show me a yearly improvement plan, and progress against it, then a raise is on the table.

Border security?
Economic strength?
Military readiness?
Debt level?
Growth of Federal bureaucracy?
Impartiality of Federal Law Enforcement?

By any measure of performance of federal government we are looking at a multi-decade precipitous decline.

Even hinting at a raise is laughable.
Double Diamond
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Republican Dan Crenshaw has said the same. Crenshaw has gone so far as to say he has to trade stocks with no doubt insider information because he cannot live on 174k.
strbrst777
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Most are all talk of promises and knocking the other side. When it counts most say what they are to say and vote as they are told to vote on bills, although some get passes when the party vote is not needed. Many do not vote their personal conviction; they just go along with leadership. They need a raise for this? Insider trading is a big perk.
Double Diamond
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oldag941 said:

Didn't Biden take the train to Delaware everyday as a Senator?


Yes. Biden has been wrong about most things in his career. But this was one thing I admired.
Bondag
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If you can't live on 174k then get rid of enough government until you can.
TAMU1990
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Dan Scott said:



Patrick McHenry says $174K is not enough and a higher salary would attract more credible people. I say bull***** If the pay sucks, why keep running for office. I get Washington DC is expensive but why do these clowns go to Washington anyways. They don't do anything. All meetings and hearings can be done via zoom. Stay in your local office and save money. Go to Washington only when needed.

On the other hand some people really take a pay cut by getting elected. Good for them. Some could make much more at law firms. Singapore government pays very high salaries to their leaders to attract the best. Don't think it'd help here though.

I'm willing to make a trade - high salaries for them for slashing the bureaucracy by 50%, eliminate Departments (like Education), term limits, and no stock trading.
dallasiteinsa02
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I am willing to give each of them 10 times the net per capita revenue for the US federal government. Congress wouldn't have been paid since 2001 and would have only been paid 5 times in the last 50 years.
Cromagnum
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So why are so many of them millionaires? Get ****ed.
Krautag81
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AOC couldn't wait to get that big paycheck, more than she ever could make….
annie88
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Poor babies.

I had no idea they were suffering so much.
Currently a happy listless vessel and deplorable. #FDEMS TRUMP 2024.
Fight Fight Fight.
oldag941
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Aside from potential corruption, it takes millions to run a campaign to even get the seat. Even at a state level. I'm pretty active with our electeds at local to national levels in DFW. They are more than full-time jobs that don't pay the bills at state and lower. National are gone to DC most of the time but working frequently when home with speaking engagements, office meeting with constituents, other required activities, etc. all this to say, $174,000 May not be too much. I'd like to see the entire compensation package to really know.
HollywoodBQ
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oldag941 said:

Didn't Biden take the train to Delaware everyday as a Senator?
Excellent point. I forgot about that.
TRADUCTOR
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First raise the pay of our armed forces, then use the enlisted pay rate for congress.
Bondag
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oldag941 said:

Didn't Biden take the train to Delaware everyday as a Senator?


If I had an hour and a half train ride to read and sleep in my own bed every night and not have to spend money on second place that is a no brainer.
Pizza
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I honestly wonder what their kick backs look like, on top of the salary.
Anyone who chooses to ride a bicycle in the street is a threat to themselves, and others. If a vehicle strikes you accidentally, YOU are at fault; and the laws of physics supercede all else when you're in the path of a 2 ton killing machine. Know your place, stay off the road.
taxpreparer
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Demosthenes81 said:

I would be in favor of building a dorm and requiring congress critters to live with two others.


I used to say this, but now I think reps should stay in their districts and meet online. Make it easier for their constituents to interact with them and harder for lobbyists to access many in one day. Same for Senators; stay in their states and meet online.
Some Junkie Cosmonaut
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oldag941 said:

Didn't Biden take the train to Delaware everyday as a Senator?
Bondag
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Government agencies do not need to be in DC.

Department of Agriculture, somewhere in Iowa

Department of energy Lubbock

Homeland Uvalde

Health Atlanta

Urban development Chicago
Ag with kids
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oldag941 said:

Didn't Biden take the train to Delaware everyday as a Senator?
Yeah. He logged 2,200,000 miles on the Amtrak as his conductor friend Angelo Negri told him.
Old May Banker
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Bondag said:

Government agencies do not need to be in DC.

Department of Agriculture, somewhere in Iowa

Department of energy Lubbock

Homeland Uvalde

Health Atlanta

Urban development Chicago

One of the candidates has pledged just that, including the FBI.
themissinglink
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In fairness, that salary doesn't seem to be able to attract America's best and brightest. Maybe it is time we up the salary enough to get competent people to run for office.
fire09
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I don't see any of these grifters living in one bedroom apartments or driving clapped out Honda civics. Gtfo with a cash salary increase.
JSKolache
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aggie93 said:

Dan Scott said:



Patrick McHenry says $174K is not enough and a higher salary would attract more credible people. I say bull***** If the pay sucks, why keep running for office. I get Washington DC is expensive but why do these clowns go to Washington anyways. They don't do anything. All meetings and hearings can be done via zoom. Stay in your local office and save money. Go to Washington only when needed.

On the other hand some people really take a pay cut by getting elected. Good for them. Some could make much more at law firms. Singapore government pays very high salaries to their leaders to attract the best. Don't think it'd help here though.

I like the Texas model where they make less than $7k and meet for a few months every 2 years except for Special Sessions.
The worst thing to happen to the Republic was when they installed air conditioning in the Capitol.
Trajan88
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It is not just the reps and senators. They have huge budgets for their staffs in dc and their district(s)

It is out of control.

They should be in dc no more than 3-4 months a year... rest of their time in their district doing a regular, private industry career.

Need to go back to the days of the citizen legistators.
TexasAggie81
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Members of Congress probably don't tell you they receive these benefits, too:

https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/10/20/10-perks-congress-has-that-you-dont.aspx
UAS Ag
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Antoninus said:

Dan Scott said:



Patrick McHenry says $174K is not enough and a higher salary would attract more credible people. I say bull***** If the pay sucks, why keep running for office. I get Washington DC is expensive but why do these clowns go to Washington anyways. They don't do anything. All meetings and hearings can be done via zoom. Stay in your local office and save money. Go to Washington only when needed.
Well, there is that pesky Constitutional requirement of a quorum ....
Isn't the requirement to be present in the capitol just House/Senate rules? Does it explicitly state in the Constitution that they have to be on the floor?

If not, then the rules could be changed to just being present during the Zoom meetings or whatever.

Think about all the climate change it would save by not having the congressmen have to travel back and forth.
Not Coach Jimbo
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Im fine with this...


If they and their families are no longer allowed to do any investing.
Fireman
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Just need to get a son in the Ukranian oil business.
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