House Speaker “Kevin McCarthy has quietly implemented a pay raise for members (of Congress) that could be $30,000+ per person. It circumvents the Constitution by instead reimbursing their rent, utilities, & meals.”
Claim about congressional ‘pay raise’ omits key information
If your time is short
- The U.S. House of Representatives changed its reimbursement rules. For the first time, lawmakers can be reimbursed for expenses related to living in Washington, D.C., similar to the way private-sector employees are reimbursed when they’re out of town on business. But the change did not affect base pay.
- House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was not solely responsible for the change. It was set in motion when Democrats controlled Congress and advanced through two committees with strong bipartisan support.
- The U.S. Constitution’s 27th Amendment bars lawmakers from passing a law to raise their own pay. But the reimbursement rules change wasn’t a law, and experts say it’s unclear whether the newly allowable reimbursements would qualify as compensation prohibited by the amendment.
Few issues make voters angrier than seeing taxpayer dollars used for salary increases for their political representatives. So, it’s not surprising that a recent change in how the U.S. House of Representatives pays its members’ expenses has drawn bipartisan criticism.
Brian Tyler Cohen, a liberal commentator and podcast host, shared a screenshot of a tweet on Facebook, blaming House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, for the change. The May 3 post said McCarthy “has quietly implemented a pay raise for members (of Congress) that could be $30,000+ per person. It circumvents the Constitution by instead reimbursing their rent, utilities, & meals.”
Our Sources
Brian Tyler Cohen, Facebook post, May 3, 2023
Occupy Democrats, Facebook post, May 4, 2023
James Bovard, "Congress’ unconstitutional pay scam gets members $34K raises," April 30, 2023
Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, hearing transcript, June 8, 2022
Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, final report, 2022
House Administration Committee, Resolution 118-15, adopted March 31, 2023
Maxwell Frost, tweet, Dec. 8, 2022
New York Times, "New Rule Could Give House Lawmakers a Tax-Free $34,000 Pay Bump," Jan. 12, 2023
Fox News, "The Speaker’s Lobby: Not quite a pay raise," May 3, 2023
Washington Examiner, "Hakeem Jeffries calls debt ceiling bill 'ransom note' and defends spending," April 28, 2023
Email interview with Matthew Green, Catholic University of America political scientist, May 7, 2023
Email interview with Demian Brady, vice president of research at the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, May 8, 2023