Private-sector paydays threaten Mike Johnson's House majority [View all]

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Source: Axios

11 hours ago


House Republicans' hunt for cold, hard cash threatens to further complicate Speaker Mike Johnson's majority — which is on track to be the narrowest since the Great Depression.

Why it matters: Johnson's power flows from his close bond with President-elect Trump. Keeping that power will depend on how many of Johnson's members he can convince to defer their big paydays until after 2025.

Salary is a major sore spot for House lawmakers. They last got a pay bump to $174,000 in 2009 and are banned from the lucrative advances on book deals that their Senate colleagues enjoy.

Just Monday, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) joined — and then deactivated — a Cameo account offering personalized video pep talks for $250 a pop.

Her colleagues aren't that far off: Multiple House Republicans have told Axios they'd be eager to monetize their X accounts, among other side hustles.

🚨 But the real threat to Johnson's majority is people leaving for private-sector jobs.

At least five House lawmakers quit Congress early in the last two years to pursue private-sector paychecks. Another four resigned early for other reasons, two died in office and one was expelled.

If similar patterns play out over the next two years, Johnson's majority is permanently at risk.

"They're going to need to do something because it impacts recruitment," one member told Axios. "You'll get rich people or people that can't get better jobs."

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/11/26/mike-johnson-congress-cameo-jobs-books