RELEASE: August 12, 2021
CONTACT: Bradley Sinkaus,
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Congressional Management Foundation today applauded the decision to raise the maximum salary for staff in the U.S. House of Representatives from $174,000 to $199,300 to attract and retain talented personnel. The decision was announced today by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, had been included in a series of recommendations by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, and was included in a series of recommendations from the Congressional Management Foundation earlier this year in congressional testimony.
Congressional staff pay has been consistently cited as a reason for such high turnover of personnel in congressional offices. A survey of congressional staff conducted by CMF and the Society for Human Resource Management noted that the top reason cited by staff for leaving their office and Congress was “desire to earn more money.”
“This is a tremendously positive move by the House and will certainly increase staff retention,” said Bradford Fitch, CMF’s President and CEO. “The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress has led a bipartisan effort to enhance Congress as a work environment and improve the tenure and quality of staff who are crucial to an effective legislature. Speaker Pelosi, Chair Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Vice Chair William Timmons (R-SC), former Vice Chair Tom Graves (R-GA), CHA Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and a cadre of other Members of Congress who have championed this issue should be richly congratulated for this significant improvement to Congress,” he said.
Until now, staff pay was capped at the same amount paid to Members of Congress, $174,000. The recommendation to delink staff pay from Member pay has been a long-standing recommendation of CMF and other civil society organizations, and it was included as a recommendation in the 116th Congress final report of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.
Additional recommendations on improving and retaining congressional staff were included in CMF’s testimony before the Select Committee on May 6, 2021, and can be found here.
