POLITICS SATURDAY(2): Congress needs a raise

Editor’s note: I am currently considering a Congressional run for 2026. This would require me to give up my law practice– which is insane. But I am still considering it. As part of the listening tour I will be sharing thoughts on the political process each Saturday. For those interested in TCPA news only feel free to ignore these posts. 

I run a business.

When I want a qualified person, I have to offer a salary that is consistent with the market for a qualified person in that role.

That’s just common sense.

If I pay under market I am not likely to get qualified people.

And if I were to offer a salary say 90% below market for the skillset I am seeking well… I’d be a buffoon.

The only job seekers I’d attract would be losers who had no other job prospects or those who are so desperate for the attention and validation that comes with working at a high-end firm like Troutman Amin, LLP that they’d take peanuts just to have the name on their resume.

Well.. that’s precisely what we are doing as a nation.

We are massively underpaying a position of CRITICAL value to our nation and, as a result, are attracting dweebs and weirdos who lack necessary skills and seemingly just want attention and validation.

Buckle up because I have one very unpopular opinion for you (that’s about to become a lot more popular): Congress needs a raise.

A big one.

The current starting salary for a new member of Congress is $174,000 per year.

Now I know that probably seems like a lot of money to most people– and it is.

But is it?

Let’s assume we want qualified people in office.

And let’s assume that by “qualified” we mean high-end attorneys– people who are actually capable of: i) representing people (because they do that for a living); ii) making deals (because they do that for a living); and iii) writing laws (because they deal with laws for a living.)

Right.

Pretty much all of the things that folks do in Congress are things that lawyers are uniquely–and perhaps solely –qualified to do.

No wonder as the percentage of lawyers in Congress has fallen over the years so has Congressional approval ratings. It currently stands at a dismal 29%.

29%– my goodness.

We definitely need to do better.

We need more qualified people in office.

How do we get there?

We pay the position what it is worth.

So let’s assume we, as a nation, want good laws written by wise people– as opposed to bad laws written by morons.

Well, we know how to get the latter. We offer a salary that looks good to regular people but not to elite people. And so we basically just attract regular people who want or need a lot of attention into a role that really should be filled with elite people who want very little attention and just want to get stuff done.

Indeed, when I talk about running for office the first thing people say is “why would you want to deal with all that bullshit for so little money?”

Now in my case, I sincerely just don’t care about money. Not sure why. Just don’t.

If I choose to run it will be because I see a ton of problems I know I can fix. And so I feel compelled to go fix them. Simple as that.

But let’s get back to the money part. Because fixing this mess is going to take more than just Eric J. Troutman– yes I will lead the process but others will need to participate.

And those others will need to be qualified.

And qualified people are going to want to make money.

How much?

Well, typical #biglaw partners– generally not the best litigators but also generally amongst the best thinkers and writers– make $1.9MM a year.

$1.9MM a year.

In order to go into Congress, therefore, these ladies and gents would have to be willing to take a 90% pay cut and give up their entire law practice they’ve worked so hard for.

That’s insane.

Going to tell you–  not going to happen.

Again, I am considering it deeply because… well… I’m just not that motivated by material stuff.

But most people are. And that’s ok.

So we have an important job position open that we are hiring for as a nation–a lawmaker– and it impacts all of our lives and the correct salary for that position is at least $1.9MM per year.

But we are paying less than one tenth of that amount– $170k a year.

What are we thinking? That’s just insane.

If the country were a private enterprise we would obviously  RAISE THE SALARY to get qualified personnel– we know this, because #biglaw firms literally do.

Yet we as a nation choose to MASSIVELY underpay a position  that is critical to ALL of us– why?

The best I can tell is because people hate congress and don’t want to see them make more money.

But that’s a VERY shallow way of looking at the issue.

Indeed, the ONLY people who benefit from the current Congressional salary structure are the goofball puppets who are currently in Congress.

They could never defeat REAL qualified candidates. They survive in their roles only because they pay is so low that mostly only losers and desperate attention seekers want the job.

Indeed, the LAST people who want to see Congress get a massive raise are the people ACTUALLY IN CONGRESS TODAY and the party heads. They know higher salaries for the position would result in a flood of qualified candidates who would elevate the political process and assure a more worthy lawmakers taking center stage.

Partisan bickering would breakdown as members of congress would be less dependent upon party masters for success– and the focus on doing the nation’s important work would instantly move to the forefront.

With one little tiny (and obvious) move we can help restore considerable balance to the most hated institution in our government– which also happens to be the most important.

So let’s give a raise to Congress. $1.9MM starting salary. And see what kind of incredible candidates we draw to a position that WE ARE ALL HIRING FOR.

More next week.