Throwback Thursday: Congressional Staff Salaries Increased 270%
From 1969 to 1979, the number of staff members in the U.S. House and Senate increased from 10,700 to 18,400, with an increase in salary expenses of $400 million – worth $1.7 billion in 2023 dollars.
Sen. William Proxmire, a Democrat from Wisconsin, gave his own legislative body the Golden Fleece Award for this explosion in staff and salaries.
According to Proxmire, the increase in pay was substantially higher than the increase in headcount. While headcount only increased by 70%, pay increased 270%. In the Senate alone, staff headcount increased by 100% from 3,400 to 6,800, bringing the number of staff per Senator up to 68 by 1979.
Other Congressional support services also bulked up. Capitol Police saw its ranks grow from 602 to 1,187 over a decade, a 97% increase. New administrative and support entities like the Office of Technological Assessment, the Congressional Budget Office, The Architect of the Capitol, and the Congressional Research Service also sprang up, adding to the staffing increase.
Proxmire admitted that some of the increased staffing is a good thing, because some staff directly help elected officials do their jobs more efficiently for their constituents. It is also helpful to give better oversight to an increasingly growing executive branch.
Other staff, however, are excessive and duplicative. In one case, at a committee meeting, 27 staff were present to support two members of Congress.
Congress should be judicious about its staff numbers and pay, and always be careful to balance enough staff to effectively do its job without wasting taxpayers money.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com
We're proud to make our journalism accessible to everyone, but producing high-quality investigative pieces still comes at a cost.
That's why we need your help. By making a contribution today, you'll be supporting RealClearInvestigations and ensuring that we can keep providing in-depth reporting that holds the powerful accountable.
Donate now and help us continue to publish distinctive journalism that makes a difference. Thank you for your support!
Support RealClearInvestigations →
