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.
Rep. Lauren Boebert joined—and then deactivated—a Cameo account offering personalized video pep talks for $250 each. Her colleagues aren't that far off: multiple House Republicans have expressed eagerness to monetize their X accounts and pursue other side hustles.
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.'
Even at full strength, the House GOP majority will be at most 221-214. That's a margin nightmares are made of, particularly in light of ongoing member turnover and possible early resignations for private-sector opportunities.
#house-republicans #speaker-mike-johnson #salary-issues #private-sector-jobs #congressional-majority
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