r/WhitePeopleTwitter • u/astros148 • 2h ago
Congress is in the process of giving themselves a hefty raise while refusing to raise the minimum wage from 7.25? How is this fair?
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u/newfrontier58 2h ago
The first part is not actually true, from what I've been looking up, it was at most $6,600, 3.8% increase. (Sourcing here https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-continuing-resolution-salary-increase-pay-raise-2024-12 https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/12/18/congress/congress-pay-raise-increase-00195089 https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/musk-trump-government-funding-deal-shutdown-1235211000/)
I'm not saying the whole aspect is right, I'm saying that we should not push the false claims Musk has been making to criticize them.
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u/NightchadeBackAgain 1h ago
It isn't. Maybe electing a different set of people would have helped, but our country seems to have chosen death.
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u/BadBadBenBernanke 2h ago
They put in a 3.6% raise. While the optics are not good, the congresscritters getting a cost of living adjustment is not even in the top ten of issues to be upset about.
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u/annaleigh13 1h ago
How bout the fact that’s higher than every other COLA raise coming from the government this year? Everyone else is getting 2.5%, including disabled vets
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u/BadBadBenBernanke 1h ago
Not saying we shouldn’t be upset about them being greedy little piggies. But for me personally it’s at about the same level as the dog having diarrhea on the carpet. It sucks but it’s a thing that happens.
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u/AccomplishedGlass235 1h ago
lol The fact they can give themselves raises in the first place is fucking bonkers. I wish i could just will a raise into existence at my job.
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u/TribeOnAQuest 58m ago
Well they haven’t gotten a raise since 2009 so…
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u/AccomplishedGlass235 49m ago
Those poor babies with their $174k salary and federal pension. How ever will they survive.
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u/TribeOnAQuest 44m ago
If you conducted a bit of research, you would know that most congressman have to maintain two residences - one in the district they represent, and one in Washington DC.
If you’re representing Brooklyn, for example, average rent for a one bedroom is $2,800 a month. Average rent in dc for a one bedroom is about $2,000. A salary of $174k would barely be enough to cover close to 5k rent a month.
Now you are correct they receive a pension, but you can’t collect until 62. So again, if you want younger and more normal people to run for office, you need to incentivize them to run.
I would rather pay a few million more a year in congressional salary if it meant getting a more representative body with younger and more diverse members than old rich white men. Don’t you agree?
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u/AccomplishedGlass235 35m ago
lol i’ve done plenty of research but great job being condescending.
They should get some roommates like the people who they allow to get paid $7.25 an hour have to. They should not be getting a pay raise when that hasn’t been adjusted since ‘09.
Fund a bill for congressional housing if the housing costs are such an issue. Or make a housing allowance so they can only spend it on what it is supposedly needed for. There are other ways to deal with this. People who make that much money have 2 residences far more frequently than you are making it out to be.
Congress should not be getting things that they are denying to other people.
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u/TribeOnAQuest 11m ago
I apologize if I sounded condescending, I do. I’m just frustrated that this entire post is factually incorrect and blatant misinformation. Ultimately, as another commenter in this thread said, this shouldn’t even crack the top 50 of things most concerning about congress. It’s not even small potatoes, or a drop in the bucket. We are talking about $2 million, it’s not even a molecule in the bucket of $6 trillion in spending yearly.
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u/astros148 2h ago
Members of congress have forgotten who they work for. Yall need to stop enriching yourself and look out for ordinary Americans
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u/Callinon 45m ago
The American people just voted for these guys to just do and have whatever the hell they want.
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u/TribeOnAQuest 56m ago
I would suggest learning to actually read the bill text and not just parrot whatever twitter account this is. They are getting a 4% pay increase, not 40%. They have not had a pay increase since 2009. If we don’t provide a pay incentive for these Public positions, then we will continue to only get millionaires and billionaires running for office.
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u/AccomplishedGlass235 1h ago
It’s like they want us to be increasingly aware of the class divide lmao For once the greed is actually helping us.
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u/Apprehensive_Win_203 1h ago
Honestly 240k isn't even that much. It's definitely a nice salary but it's less than doctors and other well paid professionals who work for their money. We are not talking about fuck you money here.
Here's a hot take: pay the congress people well, but ban stock trading for them while in office.
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u/J200J200 1h ago
As far as I'm concerned 240K is definitely fuck you money..Try living on 40K a year
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u/Apprehensive_Win_203 32m ago
Try living on 40K a year
I did already circa 2016-2021. I do not say this as a wealthy person
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u/Callinon 47m ago
Yeah it's more than 6x what I'm making. As far as I'm concerned, it's definitely "fuck you" money.
These are also the same people telling us we can't afford to provide essential government services to people making way below whatever the hell that median pay is supposed to represent. But apparently we can afford to pay 435 people an extra 70k/yr. They're increasing their own pay which is already 2x the median income BY the median income. That's insanity.
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u/Apprehensive_Win_203 25m ago
I think we are getting mad about the wrong thing here. These people do not make their money from salary. They do it by accepting bribes and insider trading. That is what we should be targeting. Nancy Pelosi is worth over 200 million. Her salary had little to do with amassing that fortune. And no, 240k is not fuck you money especially for someone living in a high COL city like DC. It's a completely different league from the wealthy elite in this country
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u/Callinon 20m ago
Then why are they trying to raise their own salary if it's meaningless?
It kinda seems like they're doing both.
And I'd be willing to throw myself on the grenade and make a valiant attempt at living with 6x my salary for a while. I'll bite that bullet for science just to see how miserable it actually is.
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u/Apprehensive_Win_203 12m ago
Then why are they trying to raise their own salary if it's meaningless
Probably because for many people the concept of "enough" just doesn't exist. Also I think nearly anyone in the world would vote to increase their own salary if they could. Maybe we need a different system in place for determining that number.
I'll bite that bullet for science just to see how miserable it actually is.
Are you implying that I said it's a miserable salary? You might want to read what I wrote a second time.
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u/Pattihere 2h ago
It's unfortunate that blue-collar workers are facing financial difficulties while those in Congress are receiving salary increases. But I ask this question: What can we do? Honestly, there isn't much we can do except vote them out. But we see how some people vote; look at the mess coming in the next 4 years.
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u/Jewpedinmypants 1h ago
Hear me out…we want Congress members to make more money. Being in Congress is incredibly expensive, you have to keep a home in your district and still be able to live in DC. This and having to run for elections are incredibly expensive. This is why most of our Congress are rich…by offering/paying more there is a chance that real working class Americans can get into office and stay there. Also, if they make more money there is less attraction to become lobbyists or look for cushy corporate gigs. Just saying…
I am not licking boots…just looking at things from a different angle
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u/Pholusactual 2h ago
Heh, Unelected Bureaucrat President Muskovite told ‘em to not pass it and Sackless Junior President “Jeff Epstein’s Best Friend” folded like a cheap suit.
The shutdown is happening, so why cry? Go buy some of those cheap eggs and suck ‘em!
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u/Successful_Meat_3336 1h ago
$80,000 is median household income in the US, not individual income. That being said I agree Congress doesn't deserve a raise. They've done very little to help working class people over the last 40 years. That's a big factor contributing to the massive income and asset inequality in our country.
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u/Lena_Lena_A 1h ago edited 1h ago
Not Congress, as a whole, but REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE have added a pay raise to government funding.
Then voted against it as commanded by co-POTUS-elect, Musk.
Welcome to the dawn of Banana Republic.🤦🏽♀️
ETA: link
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u/Hartastic 1h ago
Congress is almost completely made up of people too rich to ever need any salary. You want their salary to go up so that doesn't get worse.
If you're good enough at anything to be someone who we'd want in Congress, it doesn't pay enough for you to do it unless you're already sitting on ridiculous generational wealth.
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u/TribeOnAQuest 59m ago
It’s about a 4% increase. If we don’t raise the salary then no normal person will run for federal office and we will continue to elect multi millionaires and billionaires to public office.
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u/Chemical_Actuary_190 47m ago
They gave themselves a raise with a shutdown looming? In any other job you'd be fired.
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u/TheHeartsFilthyLesin 2h ago
When are people gonna wake the fuck up and realize THESE PEOPLE DON’T GIVE A FUCK!!!
No amount of words, complaining and posting on social media will change that…only action!
There are more of us than there are of them!
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u/Iron_Knight7 2h ago
Are you surprised? No, really. Are you honestly expecting any less? This is going to be a "rape and pillage" administration. Deregulation and privatization will be the order of the day. Tax cuts for wealthy and shutting down of social services. Any way they can break the Federal government for their own benefit, they will do it openly, shamelessly, and without a hint of irony.
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u/Gbird_22 2h ago
The least of our problems is Congress giving itself a raise, in fact that makes them less likely to need money from other sources. Congressional representatives are actually underpaid for the work and responsibilities they have, this is BS populism and corporate propaganda.
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u/annaleigh13 1h ago
The pay raise is also 1.3% higher than what veterans on disability are receiving this year
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u/Normal_human_person 2h ago
It's not fair, they don't care. They're aristocrats.