Speaker Mike Johnson just said the quiet part out loud: Republicans in Congress apparently think making $174,000 a year is some kind of financial hardship.
For perspective, that salary puts members of Congress in the top tier of earners in America. The overwhelming majority of Americans make far less while dealing with skyrocketing rent, grocery bills, healthcare costs, and stagnant wages. But according to Johnson, lawmakers are the real victims here.
“The salary of Congress has been frozen since 2009,” Johnson complained, arguing that inflation means members now make “31 percent less” in real terms. His solution? Let members of Congress continue trading stocks so they can “take care of themselves.”
Amazing.
These are the same Republicans who constantly lecture working people about “living within their means.” The same people who insist the federal minimum wage is perfectly acceptable. The same politicians who vote against labor protections, affordable healthcare, and student debt relief because Americans supposedly need to work harder and stop expecting help.
But suddenly inflation matters when it affects politicians making six figures.
Apparently $174,000 a year plus elite healthcare, pensions, taxpayer-funded travel, and countless other perks just isn’t enough anymore. So now the Speaker of the House is openly defending stock trading by lawmakers who oversee the very industries they invest in.
No wonder public trust in Congress is collapsing.
If members of Congress genuinely cannot survive on a salary that most Americans could only dream of earning, then maybe they should step aside and let someone else do the job. There are plenty of qualified people who would happily serve without treating public office like a side hustle for building personal wealth.
The hypocrisy here is impossible to miss. Republicans tell ordinary Americans to tighten their belts while fighting to protect a system that allows politicians to profit off privileged information and political influence.
Working families are expected to sacrifice. Congress, apparently, deserves investment portfolios.
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