Elon Musk, who three months ago helped derail a government funding bill that included a modest congressional pay raise, now appears to be reconsidering his stance. In a recent post on X, Musk suggested that increasing salaries for lawmakers and senior government officials “might make sense” to curb corruption.
Musk’s New Perspective on Government Salaries
“It might make sense to increase compensation for Congress and senior government employees to reduce the forcing function for corruption,” Musk wrote. “The latter might be as much as 1000 times more expensive to the public.”
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His reasoning aligns with arguments made by Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who has long advocated for better pay for lawmakers to prevent financial temptations like stock trading or lucrative private-sector job offers. Despite legal prohibitions against personal financial gain through congressional positions, stagnant salaries have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
A Major Shift From December
As the Business Insider reports, Musk’s latest stance is a stark contrast to his position in December when he played a key role in tanking a bipartisan funding bill. That legislation, among other provisions, included a modest pay raise for members of Congress. At the time, Musk criticized the bill and spread false claims that it included a 40% pay increase for lawmakers when the actual figure was 3.8% at most.
His opposition helped galvanize Republican lawmakers against the bill, contributing to its collapse before Donald Trump and JD Vance officially opposed it. The result was a looming government shutdown that further highlighted Musk's growing influence in Washington.
The Case for Higher Congressional Pay
Currently, rank-and-file members of Congress earn $174,000 annually—a salary that hasn't changed since 2009. If adjusted for inflation, their pay would have been around $217,900 in 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service. Some lawmakers argue that the current salary isn't enough, given the high cost of maintaining two residences—one in Washington, D.C., and another in their home state.
While $174,000 is significantly more than the average salary in the U.S., AOC and other advocates for an increase say that fair compensation could help prevent lawmakers from seeking outside financial opportunities, which could lead to ethical concerns.
Musk's Influence on GOP Lawmakers
Musk's new opinion on congressional salaries is surprising because he has a lot of influence over conservative politicians. As an important figure in the Department of Government Efficiency, he has been pushing for big government spending cuts. His involvement in tanking the December funding bill demonstrated his ability to sway GOP lawmakers, with Democrats even referring to him as a “shadow president.”
But now, his opinion on congressional pay is closer to what progressives like Ocasio-Cortez believe instead of the strict spending cuts many Republicans support. It's unclear if his support for higher pay will convince Republican lawmakers, since many of them have always been against it.
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