Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
Claim is false that members of Congress got a pay raise
If Your Time is short
• Salaries did not increase for members of the U.S. Congress after the passage of a recent government spending bill. The salaries have not increased since 2009.
• Members of the U.S. House of Representatives received an increase in their office budgets, which pay for staff and other official expenses.
Social media posts falsely claim that members of Congress will get a pay raise.
"Everything sucks under Joe Biden, unless you are in Congress. In that case, you just gave yourself a 21% raise…unreal," says a March 14 post on Instagram. It was shared by Carl Higbie, a host at conservative outlet Newsmax, and was a screenshot of his tweet.
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Salaries for members of Congress did not increase when Congress passed a $1.5 trillion government spending bill in March 2022.
The bill that passed "continues a provision to freeze the pay of members of Congress, preventing any pay increases in (fiscal year 2022)," according to a bill summary by Republican members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "A freeze on members’ salaries has been in place since 2009."
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
Members of Congress have earned an annual salary of $174,000 since the last pay increase in 2009, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In the 2022 spending bill, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives received an increase in their office budgets, known as Members Representational Allowance, according to a summary of the bill by the House Appropriations Committee. The allowance is used for staff, travel, rent, utilities, communications, supplies and equipment, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Featured Fact-check
The $774.4 million allocated in 2022 for the Members Representational Allowance is $134 million higher than the previous year — a 21% increase. It’s the largest increase since the Members Representational Allowance was authorized in 1996.
We rate the claim that members of Congress gave themselves a 21% pay raise False.
Our Sources
Congressional Research Service, "Members’ Representational Allowance: History and Usage," updated Aug. 13, 2020
Congressional Research Service, "Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables," updated Jan. 25, 2022
House Appropriations Committee, "Funding for the people," accessed March 16, 2022
Instagram post, March 14, 2022
Instagram profile, "Carl Higbie," accessed March 16, 2022
PolitiFact, "Newsmax," accessed March 16, 2022
Roll Call, "Legislative Branch bill boosts Members Representational Allowance, Capitol Police," March 9, 2022
Senate Appropriations Committee, Republican members, "FY22 OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS PACKAGE – TOPLINE SUMMARY," accessed March 16, 2022
The Hill, "House passes sweeping $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill," March 9, 2022
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Monique Curet
Claim is false that members of Congress got a pay raise
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.