House Democrat Says Congress Is Underpaid

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Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) thinks Congress is underpaid, and he wants to increase the salary of members of the House.

According to Roll Call:

Virginia Democrat James P. Moran said he plans to highlight the injustice by introducing an amendment to the Legislative Branch bill during its full committee markup, and at floor consideration of the bill. Moran made the comments while the bill that funds member’s $174,000 salaries was being marked up in the Legislative Branch subcommittee.

“I think the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid,” Moran told CQ Roll Call. “I understand that it’s widely felt that they underperform, but the fact is that this is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world.”
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“Our pay has been frozen for three years and we’re planning on freezing it a fourth year. A lot of members can’t even afford to live decently in Washington,” he said.

In one respect, Rep. Moran does have a point. As a whole, members of the House aren’t as wealthy as Senators. Their average wealth has remained flat for the last decade, but they still are more wealthy than the average population by a large margin.

If Moran is going to suggest that the House is the board of directors for the largest economy in the world, they should be paid based on performance. A good start would be if they actually showed up for work more often. Since Republicans took control, the House has been working a 120+ day a year schedule.

Where else can one be at their job for one third of the year and earn $174,000?

Rep. Moran’s comments were ridiculous when one takes into account that he serves in the body that cut food stamps, and threw three million Americans off of unemployment benefits.

This Congress is overpaid. They have taken the taxpayers’ money and delivered nothing but crisis, pain, and misery.

Rep. Moran should apologize to every American who is struggling to survive.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association