Congress's Pay to Rise from $174,000 to $243,000 Under New 1,547-Page Bill Including Obamacare Opt-Out

Dec 18, 2024, 04:05 PM

Members of Congress are set to receive their first pay raise since 2009 under a 1,547-page stopgap funding bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), that lawmakers aim to enact by December 20. The bill proposes increasing lawmakers' salaries from $174,000 to $243,000 per year, a raise of approximately $69,300. Additionally, the CR includes provisions allowing members of Congress to opt out of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and return to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program for health care, while staffers remain on the Obamacare exchanges. This move has sparked significant criticism, especially given Congress's low approval ratings, cited as low as 13%. Senator Dick Durbin, the number two Senate Democrat, when confronted by CNN reporter Manu Raju about whether lawmakers deserve a pay raise considering their performance, responded that members are due for a raise, leading to further debate. Some have also highlighted that members made an average of $366,000 in the stock market last year, intensifying the scrutiny over the proposed salary increase.