This past Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) issued a new directive that will allow House members to issue their staff a much higher salary than is earned by many of the lawmakers working in the nation’s capital.
“As you know, our hard-working, patriotic Congressional staffers are integral to the functioning of the House of Representatives: ensuring this institution can effectively carry out our legislative and constituent responsibilities,” explained Pelosi. “To that end, we must do all we can to retain and recruit the best talent in our nation — and to build a Congressional workforce that reflects the communities we are honored to serve.”
Senators and Representatives are issued an annual salary of $174,000, while those working in positions of leadership can end up making per year tens of thousands of dollars more.
“It is my privilege as Speaker to announce that the House will raise the maximum annual rate of pay for staff to $212,100,” Pelosi went on. “This increase in the Speaker’s Pay Order is consistent with the recent raise in the Executive Branch Level II and Senior Executive Branch maximum annual salary rate.”
82-year-old Pelosi stated in an announcement from this past month that she would not seek re-election as the top Democrat in the House, but will remain working as a member of Congress.
Pelosi, who has held the role as a leader of the Democrat party since the George W. Bush administration, issued the announcement while on the House floor in a speech that spoke about democracy, diversity, and elections, and was met with a raucous round of applause from Democrats. She maintained that she would push forth to represent of the from her home area of San Francisco.
“For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect,” stated Pelosi.
For a short time, Pelosi also spoke about her husband Paul, who was sent ot the hospital in the wake of an intruder breaking into their house located in San Francisco and attacking him with a hammer. David DePape, the suspect in question, has officially pleaded not guilty, and his friends have stated that he has a long history of mental illness, drug abuse, and believing conspiracy theories.
This announcement from Pelosi was issued in the wake of the 2022 midterm elections showing a better-than-expected performance. All this despite the pre-election polling and punditry claiming a “red wave” would be on its way to push Republicans into both houses of Congress.