New Rule Could Give House Lawmakers a Tax-Free $34,000 Pay Bump

Jan. 13: This article was up to date with clarification on how the reimbursement estimates had been calculated.

WASHINGTON — A bit-noticed rule change made quietly by Democrats within the last days of their majority final 12 months may give House members a long-delayed enhance in compensation, permitting them to be reimbursed for the price of lodging, meals and journey whereas they’re on official enterprise in Washington.

For the previous dozen years, House members have declined to take a cost-of-living enhance within the annual spending payments, afraid of a political backlash in the event that they had been seen to present themselves a increase. But the availability, tucked into inner guidelines that sometimes obtain little consideration from the general public and with none open debate on Capitol Hill, may quantity to a subsidy of about $34,000 per member this 12 months, in accordance with an estimate based mostly on present authorities reimbursement charges. That could be a substantial enhance for lawmakers who spend weeks on finish within the nation’s capital, the place residing prices are among the many highest within the United States.

The new rule, proposed by Democrats on the House Administration Committee, was accredited with no objection in December, however rank-and-file members weren’t knowledgeable broadly about it till Tuesday. In an e mail despatched by the chief administrative officer of the House, which was obtained by The New York Times and reported earlier by Bloomberg News, congressional places of work had been suggested to not submit reimbursement requests for rental and housing prices till the committee issued further steering.

Representative Zoe Lofgren, the California Democrat who led the Administration Committee when the change was made, didn’t reply to requests for remark about it, nor did the opposite Democratic members of the panel.

But some Republicans had been fast to criticize it.

“You can have a good public policy debate on whether congressmen should be paid more in order to attract a better bunch, and you could have a reasonable debate on inflation adjustments, but it really ought to be done in public,” mentioned former Representative Mo Brooks, Republican of Alabama. “That’s my biggest beef, that it was a clandestine secret.”

While rank-and-file members make $174,000 a 12 months, properly above the median wage within the United States, lots of them preserve residences each of their districts and in Washington. The enhance in compensation is aimed toward serving to them defray the prices of a secondary residence. Lawmakers, particularly younger ones, have voiced concern about having the ability to afford to dwell in Washington, the place they spend about a third of the 12 months. Some members have opted to share apartments or sleep of their places of work.

The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress beneficial the extra reimbursement in its final report launched in December, arguing that it will enhance the pool of people that may afford to serve on Capitol Hill.

“Unlike their counterparts in the executive branch and private sector, members do not receive a per diem or reimbursement for their out-of-pocket living expenses when they are at work in Washington,” the report mentioned.

Reimbursement quantities for lawmakers are capped by a every day restrict set by the General Services Administration, in accordance with a handbook created by the Administration Committee.

According to an evaluation by The Times utilizing the charges set for the 2023 fiscal 12 months, which ends in September, and estimates based mostly on final 12 months’s charges for October by means of December, particular person members could possibly be reimbursed as much as about $34,000 this 12 months. Collectively, if all 440 present members and delegates requested that most quantity, the reimbursements would complete about $15.1 million.

The earlier model of the inner handbook allowed members to be reimbursed for journey and lodging charges for official enterprise, however didn’t specify that it may apply to bills incurred whereas in Washington.

A serious spending measure enacted in December added greater than $35 million to members’ workplace budgets to “retain talented staff and provide a ‘living wage,’” in accordance with a abstract of the laws from Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee.

But the additional reimbursements for members would come out of the identical pot of funds, elevating concern amongst some aides who lengthy have complained of being underpaid that the change may depart them with fewer sources.

“Too many congressional staffers live paycheck to paycheck, take on debt, or work second jobs in order to survive due to persistently low wages on the Hill,” mentioned Zoe Bluffstone, a House Democratic employees member and spokeswoman for the Congressional Progressive Staff Association. “It’s already not sustainable for so many, but if more of the office budget gets siphoned away, we could see cuts in staff pay and even greater increases in turnover, which hurts the institution of Congress as a whole.”

Emily Cochrane contributed reporting.