Speaker Pelosi to announce she is setting a minimum salary for House staffers

Today, Punchbowl News shared a letter from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to her colleagues that revealed she was setting a minimum salary floor of $45,000 annually for House staffers. You can read the letter here. Here is a brief excerpt related to staff pay in the announcement:

Second: I am pleased to announce that, pursuant to the statutory authority of the Speaker in 2 U.S.C. 4532, the House will for the first time ever set the minimum annual pay for staff at $45,000. The deadline to implement this new Pay Order is September 1, 2022, and additional guidance is forthcoming.

With a competitive minimum salary, the House will better be able to retain and recruit excellent, diverse talent. Doing so will open the doors to public service for those who may not have been able to afford to do so in the past. This is also an issue of fairness, as many of the youngest staffers working the longest hours often earn the lowest salaries.

The government funding legislation enacted in March included a 21 percent increase in the MRA for each office, which will more than cover this pay adjustment. It is highly encouraged that Members use this MRA increase to honor the committed work of your staff members.

The letter also thanks the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress and their work recruiting talent to Capitol Hill, who highlighted in their recommendations in the 116th Congress. R Street has long supported the work of the Modernizing Committee. You can follow them on Twitter here.