Last week, Politico reported, “Nearly 2,000 House of Representative staffers pulled down six-figure salaries in 2009, including 43 staffers who earned the maximum $172,50.” This number has outraged some, especially those on the right, because the economy still hasn’t picked up and the unemployment rate is still a very high 9.7%.
Reading the textbook and hearing the lectures on the role of the Congressional staffer, I am almost inclined to think some staffers should be paid more than their congressmen. Mainly through ignorance, I think the public has a misconception of how essential the average staffer is to Congress. Without their staff, members of congress would be sloppy, unprepared, and overworked. As the textbook states, “No responsibility of congressional staff is more important than helping the elected members pass sound legislation.” Without them, no one would read the bills.
Even you do not think congressional staffers should handle the majority of the legislative process, you should believe in fair compensation. Nancy Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly reminds people, these staffers “could be making a lot more money in the private sector, but they choose to work here.” These men and women have risked better financial stability for their families in order to work for the government. People should remember this before they are outraged at the six-figure salary.
Maybe in the future, Congressmen will have time to read each bill they vote on and time to write speeches and press releases. I am not holding my breath. The staffers are essential to political process.
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