Pelosi sets $45,000 minimum yearly salary for House aides

WASHINGTON (AP) — Addressing concerns about the working conditions for some Capitol Hill aides, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Friday a $45,000 minimum annual salary for House staff and teed up for a vote next week a resolution that would pave the way for aides to join a union.

While jobs on Capitol Hill are highly coveted and can lead to big salaries down the road, the work often involves grueling hours and low pay in a region where steep housing costs can leave little money for other necessities.

Lawmakers set the pay for their aides. The money comes from an allowance made available to each member to cover rent, equipment, salary and other expenses incurred in performing their official duties.

Pelosi noted that the recent approval of a 21% increase in that allowance should more than cover the increased salaries. She encouraged members to use the increase “to honor the committed work of your staff members."

“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," Pelosi said. “This is also an issue of fairness, as many of the youngest staffers working the longest hours often earn the lowest salaries."

The deadline for implementing the $45,000 annual minimum will be Sept. 1. The median salary for staff working for an individual lawmaker was $50,000 last year, according to the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

The moves from Pelosi come at a time when the Biden White House is seeking to enact policies designed to strengthen labor unions. Workers for Democratic groups such as the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have moved to unionize. And those efforts have extended to the House where Michigan Rep. Andy Levin's resolution provides for the approval of...