Perks come with being a member of Congress—among them, a million-dollar office budget for each member. As part of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s push for transparency, the House for the first time has published its spending online—data that was then made searchable by the Sunlight Foundation. It’s now easy to know how Congress is spending the nearly $5 billion it allocates itself annually. The Senate is expected to follow suit next year. Here are the top congressional budgets for staff salaries for the second half of 2009, not counting additional staff working for various committees:
| Representative | Total Staff Payroll |
|---|---|
| Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) | $3,039,564 |
| Minority leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) | $1,998,276 |
| Majority leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) | $1,875,607 |
| Minority whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) | $1,411,075 |
| Majority whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) | $1,254,726 |
| Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) | $685,897 |
| Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) | $680,333 |
| James Oberstar (D-Minn.) | $679,652 |
| Barney Frank (D-Mass.) | $646,304 |
| Dale Kildee (D-Mich.) | $622,595 |
Subscribe to Washingtonian
Follow Washingtonian on Twitter
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Party Photos
