The cuts to Members’ office budgets have affected the staffs of Rep. Jim Moran and other Members. “I’m [trying] to keep my staff paid on slave wages,” Moran said.
Across the board, Democrats and Republicans say their biggest challenge is paying staff salaries. Many offices have eliminated positions through attrition, while most agree that raises and bonuses are out of the question.
“I’m [trying] to keep my staff paid on slave wages,” Moran said. “Normally you get what you pay for, and in this case, I’m getting a whole lot more than I’m paying for.”
Underpaying Congressional staffers could lead to problems with retention, especially as young, bright aides look to the private sector for greater compensation — a reality many Members fear.
“I imagine we will have some staff retention problems because they can make more money someplace else, and who wouldn’t want to do that?” Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio) said.
“You lose a lot of institutional memory and expertise when you’re inviting such high staff turnover,” Kingston agreed, adding that his office is now relying heavily on the manpower of interns who are paid little or nothing at all.
There are other ways to save money in a tight-budget environment besides freezing staff salaries or eliminating positions, the report emphasizes. It offers 46 ways that Members can save money, such as using email for corresponding with constituents rather than franked mail, moving district offices to lower-cost real estate and seeking commitments from outside vendors not to increase their fees for 2012.
A senior aide for Schakowsky said her office is cutting back on staff travel and retreats, relying more heavily on email and “hoarding offices supplies.”
Many lawmakers maintain that it is not easy to serve constituents without a full staff.
“Our casework is off the charts because of human need,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), adding that caseworkers are needed to speak to each constituent individually and that “a robocall won’t do it.”
“The people who end up getting hurt are constituents,” she said.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra and Rep. Joseph Crowley, vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, address a news conference immediately after the closed caucus meeting.
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
