It is no secret that NP has always looked out for those who need it but it did seem to come out of nowhere when she raised the salary for the aides who work on capitol hill. While this is a good thing for those in DC who are trying to make ends meet, some of the press have been quick to point out that some of these aides will now be making more than the lawmakers they work for. On average, the people in the house make about $174,000 per year & with this new pay raise, some of these aides are now eligible to make up to $200 grand annually. Before this, they were making just a bit less than their bosses & now it seems they’re on a more level playing field in terms of salary. This would break the big wage connection between the aides & lawmakers & allow for some of these staffers to make more than their counterparts on capitol hill.
In a recent statement, she noted that this act will help congress to be able to recruit the best in the biz & enable them to retain this top talent for a much longer period of time. It also helps to ensure that the house members & aides are considered equal in the eyes of the law. As it happens, this idea was not originally hers but rather it stems from one of her fellow house members, Zoe Lofgren, who represents the great state of CA with pride. The whole point of this pay raise is to keep staffers from leaving the job in an effort to take a job as a lobbyist. Over the years, the dems have been pushing for a pay bump for everyone at capitol hill, not just those on the top. A lot of people are aware that house staffer’s salaries are not that high considering how much it costs to live in DC. In June, AOC was one of more than 100 lawmakers who signed a letter to push for an increase in budget so they could pay their staffers a better wage. The letter was addressed to Pelosi & inspired her to take action.
In the letter, she made it quite clear that the low salary would make more barriers for those who want to work as a staffer on capitol hill. In fact, it is well known that a lot of staffers have to take side jobs in an effort to make ends meet & this is why she was so adamant about ensuring they were making a livable wage. A few years ago, she sent out a tweet in which she said that she went to a dive spot to grab a bite to eat. This is when she noticed that a lot of people who worked there were also new staffers on capitol hill. She noted that this is a disgrace & that congress of all places should be one of the jobs in which people make a wage that allows them to pay all their bills. It is not clear if this will stick over the next few years but she does not think that anyone will attempt to challenge this new pay raise. We’ll keep you updated as the story develops.
