Skip to content

Senate Holds the Line on Staff Salaries

No raises for members of Congress either in bill approved by Appropriations Committee

Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri speaks during a Senate Appropriations meeting to markup the legislative branch spending bill. (Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri speaks during a Senate Appropriations meeting to markup the legislative branch spending bill. (Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a legislative branch spending bill Thursday that did not address raising salaries for the chamber’s staff — unlike their counterparts in the House .  

The appropriations bill also includes a provision, which has been in place since 2009, that would prevent any pay increase for members of Congress. The same has been the case for House members since 2010.  


[Congress Needs More and Better-Paid Staff]
Individual senators, who control how they run their own offices, could still choose to give their staff raises with existing money.  

The $871 million Senate legislative branch spending plan includes funding for financial management system upgrades and information technology advancements, including cyber security.  


[House Amendment Could Increase Staff Pay]
The House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment on Tuesday that would provide an additional $8.3 million to the Members Representational Allowance account, which funds official office expenses including staff, mail and travel. The provision would give each member’s office an additional $18,821 that members could use to raise their staff salaries .

Lawmakers backing the proposal lamented the constant turnover of personnel leaving for better paying opportunities.
 

Contact Rahman at remarahman@cqrollcall.com or follow her on Twitter at @remawriter


Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call on your iPhone or your Android.

Recent Stories

‘Israel is in charge’: Netanyahu made sure Trump’s Iran diplomacy was no picnic

Covert actions key to Israel’s strikes on Iran: Mossad

Striking up — Congressional Hits and Misses

Photos of the week | June 6-12, 2025

AI can sharpen America’s edge in the Pacific — if we move now

Walz and Johnson make misleading claims about bill’s impact on SNAP