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I was about to comment that I basically agree with this, that since Congresspeople have to maintain both home state and DC residences that they should be reimbu

I was about to comment that I basically agree with this, that since Congresspeople have to maintain both home state and DC residences that they should be reimbursed for the extra expense of needing to be in DC. However, then I found an article that said this already happened for this year: https://www.closeup.org/a-new-rule-results-in-cost-of-living-reimbursement-for-house-members https://www.closeup.org/a-new-rule-results-in-cost-of-living... So, basically, House members already got a raise of $34k this year. The fact this wasn't even mentioned in this businessinsider article makes me think Patrick McHenry should STFU.

alephnerd 3y ago
$34k after tax (which Congress members pay) becomes around $20k after tax, which does help a bit, but still makes it very expensive to maintain a 2nd residence in a city where Studios go for $2300-2500/mo and there isn't any rent control.
- millzlane 3y ago
  Sounds like they need to move to cheaper places and commute in like normal DMVers do.
  - alephnerd 3y ago
    The hours on the Hill are insane. Starting work around 7-9am and finishing up by 8-9pm was fairly common. As such, you want to be close to work. It's essentially PM type hours without PM type pay. You easily earn more and work less hours as a GS 12-14 with much less stress (GS-15 sucks though because you start dealing with SES and Political Appointees)
    - azemetre 3y ago
      In no sane world is >$150k bad pay in any city in the USA. Maybe Congress should build some dormitories and allow members to board with each other if they choose so. Maybe over time it will reduce the division between members when you’re forced to live with them and realize that they’re humans too. Congress barely passes any meaningful legislation, they shouldn’t be rewarded with more money. If I only shipped two features over two years at my job I’d be rightly fired. Certain members of Congress think that you can literally object to everything and grind things to halt then have the audacity to call this “government.” Force them to do their job and maybe they can discuss an additional raise (they already got one this year).
      - alephnerd 3y ago
        > In no sane world is >$150k bad pay in any city in the USA It's not bad on average, but it skews hiring towards the wealthy, as those without wealth (self made or generational) cannot build the wealth needed to afford a high CoL city like DC. Working 10-15 years on $30k as a staffer to end up making $150k at most as a lobbyist or maybe $174k as a House Rep while still having to pay off undergraduate and graduate school debt (and that too from private or private adjacent programs as where you studied does matter on the hill) means you have barely any savings to afford buying property or renting in most of the DMV. > Maybe Congress should build some dormitories and allow members to board with each other if they choose so They used to but stopped by the 90s for liability reasons. > Congress barely passes any meaningful legislation How do you define "meaningful"? It's the politics and PM equivalent of "Lines of Code" The rate of enacted and passed legislation has largely remained constant since the 1970s [0]. Most legislation and work done on the Hill doesn't come up on CNN/Fox/MSNBC/NewsNation/Twitter/TikTok/FB because it's topics that are mind numbing to most people who aren't nerds. [0] - https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/statistics https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/statistics
- gizmo686 3y ago
  Is the $34k considered taxable income? Reimbursement for bussiness travel is generally not taxed. I'm not sure how this applies to rent when work requires a second residence; but it doesn't seem that crazy for those to be tax deductable as way. Especially when the people writing the laws are also the potential tax payers.
  - alephnerd 3y ago
    Housing stipends are a fringe benefit. They're taxable as income.

alephnerd 3y ago

$34k after tax (which Congress members pay) becomes around $20k after tax, which does help a bit, but still makes it very expensive to maintain a 2nd residence in a city where Studios go for $2300-2500/mo and there isn't any rent control.

millzlane 3y ago
Sounds like they need to move to cheaper places and commute in like normal DMVers do.
- alephnerd 3y ago
  The hours on the Hill are insane. Starting work around 7-9am and finishing up by 8-9pm was fairly common. As such, you want to be close to work. It's essentially PM type hours without PM type pay. You easily earn more and work less hours as a GS 12-14 with much less stress (GS-15 sucks though because you start dealing with SES and Political Appointees)
  - azemetre 3y ago
    In no sane world is >$150k bad pay in any city in the USA. Maybe Congress should build some dormitories and allow members to board with each other if they choose so. Maybe over time it will reduce the division between members when you’re forced to live with them and realize that they’re humans too. Congress barely passes any meaningful legislation, they shouldn’t be rewarded with more money. If I only shipped two features over two years at my job I’d be rightly fired. Certain members of Congress think that you can literally object to everything and grind things to halt then have the audacity to call this “government.” Force them to do their job and maybe they can discuss an additional raise (they already got one this year).
    - alephnerd 3y ago
      > In no sane world is >$150k bad pay in any city in the USA It's not bad on average, but it skews hiring towards the wealthy, as those without wealth (self made or generational) cannot build the wealth needed to afford a high CoL city like DC. Working 10-15 years on $30k as a staffer to end up making $150k at most as a lobbyist or maybe $174k as a House Rep while still having to pay off undergraduate and graduate school debt (and that too from private or private adjacent programs as where you studied does matter on the hill) means you have barely any savings to afford buying property or renting in most of the DMV. > Maybe Congress should build some dormitories and allow members to board with each other if they choose so They used to but stopped by the 90s for liability reasons. > Congress barely passes any meaningful legislation How do you define "meaningful"? It's the politics and PM equivalent of "Lines of Code" The rate of enacted and passed legislation has largely remained constant since the 1970s [0]. Most legislation and work done on the Hill doesn't come up on CNN/Fox/MSNBC/NewsNation/Twitter/TikTok/FB because it's topics that are mind numbing to most people who aren't nerds. [0] - https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/statistics https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/statistics
gizmo686 3y ago
Is the $34k considered taxable income? Reimbursement for bussiness travel is generally not taxed. I'm not sure how this applies to rent when work requires a second residence; but it doesn't seem that crazy for those to be tax deductable as way. Especially when the people writing the laws are also the potential tax payers.
- alephnerd 3y ago
  Housing stipends are a fringe benefit. They're taxable as income.