Congressional freshmen of the 119th Congress pose on the steps of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 15, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
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Lawmakers on Capitol Hill got close to getting their first salary bump in 15 years in a pre-Christmas bill to keep the government funded through the spring.
Tucked in the bill was a sentence that would have struck language from previous legislation blocking an automatic pay increase for lawmakers from taking effect, which was first reported by Bloomberg.
But the bill came under fire for being too broad in size and scope, and its contents were the subject of misinformation — including over the size of lawmakers’ cost of living increase.
“How can this be called a ‘continuing resolution’ if it includes a 40% pay increase for Congress?” posted top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump Elon Musk, who has a net worth of over $400 billion.
In reality, the bill would have made members eligible for a cost of living increase of just 3.8%, or a roughly $6,600 increase.
“I was surprised to hear my pay was going up to $240,000 — that was news to me,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., mused at the time.
Congressional pay for rank-and-file members is $174,000 and hasn’t been adjusted since 2009.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said he thinks it’s reasonable for lawmakers to get equal treatment with the rest of the federal workforce, which does receive cost of living increases.
“We cannot operate as if there’s no inflation in the world,” Torres told NPR. “It turns out that members of Congress are subject to the impact of inflation as well — who would have thought?”
