US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez complains that $174,000 a year isn't enough money for her and that members of Congress should earn much more even though she knows no one agrees with her.
The New York Democrat has been lamenting for years that those who serve in the House and Senate need a raise. Nor is she the only one who says so.
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), who briefly served as House Speaker Acting in October, also believes that if you want to attract competent people to run for office, you have to pay them more.
“McHenry believes member pay should be increased to incentivize 'credible people to run for office who want to serve the public and be effective legislators.' The Office reported in early January when discussing McHenry's pending retirement.
A salary of $174,000 is not enough for members of Congress. In fact, they should probably give themselves a $100,000 raise. This garbage was given 34K a year Travel adj. they don't tell us about their pay. 10K a year on furniture, huge auto lease program all cash. WTF
— Michael Manlove (@mikelm31) January 12, 2024
“Most of us live on salary. And then, you know, the very rich few end up dominating the news because of their personal stock trading, when most of us don't have wealth,” McHenry noted.
“McHenry acknowledged, however, that voters likely have little sympathy on the matter because the public perception is that Congress is not doing much, and that certainly has been the case. [in 2023],” The Dispatch quoted him as saying.
Ocasio-Cortez seized on McHenry's sentiment, pushing for more money for herself and others.
“I've been saying this for a while,” he said Business Insider in an interview “I think he's right. I know it's kind of a contrarian position.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also wants more money despite her wealth. In accordance with Streetit's worth around $7.5 million.
Most of America is put to work paycheck to paycheck and these snakes want to give themselves another raise during an economic depression. That's why Congress sucks. pic.twitter.com/NJY05XqQh6
— Kiko Gomez (@thedonofyreka) January 14, 2024
Ocasio-Cortez, who is a member of the “Squad” and is also a Democratic Socialist, maintains that a pay raise for members of Congress is needed for anti-corruption reasons and to open the door to a wider range of Americans to run – in charge
“If we want working-class people who are not dependent on independent wealth to represent the people in Congress, we have to make it work,” Ocasio-Cortez said while noting that members of Congress must have residences in both Washington as in Washington. their districts of origin.
She was quick to state that she wasn't just looking for money for herself.
“We need to raise the minimum wage, we need to make child care affordable, and we need to make it affordable for all Americans,” she said. “We have to do it in the House, too.”
They can never take enough of other people's money.
— Rob Linton (@RobLinton4) January 15, 2024
“Since 2009, rank-and-file members of the House and Senate have received an annual salary of $174,000, and Congress has blocked cost-of-living adjustments every year since then,” Business Insider noted.
“Even though more than 80 percent of American households make in a year, experts have argued that lawmakers remain underpaid, given both the importance and unique demands of their jobs. If lawmakers' salaries had kept up rate of inflation, they would now earn more than $250,000,” the outlet added.
While Ocasio-Cortez and others think members of Congress deserve a raise, polls don't seem to agree with them, according to Business Insider. Many Americans oppose a raise for them, and lawmakers themselves make the case on both sides of the aisle.
“People who make great contributions to America don't do it for the money,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told Business Sider in an interview. “I think we can attract talent without the finances.”
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Terresa Monroe-Hamilton is a constitutional conservative who researches and writes extensively on politics and current affairs.
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