Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will move from his basement office into an elaborate suite on the second floor of the Capitol, where the Congressman will be much more visible even without his gavel. (And easier for MAGA rioters to find should they once again find themselves dissatisfied with government operations.)
Johnson will also rise another full step financially above the people he represents. As a run-of-the-mill Congressman from Louisiana, Johnson was entitled to a salary of $174,000. The salary of the Speaker of the House — representing a whopping 28% raise for Johnson — is $223,500.
Johnson, a lawyer by trade who has been in the House since 2017, doesn’t need the extra money. The boost is part of Johnson’s bonus for being uniquely positioned, after many had failed, to unite his conference and get squabbling Republicans back to work.
[NOTE: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average mean wage of all occupations in Johnson’s state of Louisiana last year was $50,940. Chief Executives in Louisiana had an average mean wage of $220,440. Johnson’s new salary exceeds, if only by a slim margin, the Louisiana CEO mean.]
Just before Johnson won the gavel, reporter Jake Sherman gave a brief primer on what would change for the Congressman. “He’ll have a gigantic police detail and will be charged with hiring a huge staff to manage the House of Representatives and the House GOP policy agenda,” Sherman wrote. “He has to raise millions of dollars for House Republicans’ political causes.”
If Mike Johnson wins the speakership, his life will change immediately. He'll have a gigantic police detail and will be charged with hiring a huge staff to manage the House of Representatives and the House GOP policy agenda. He has to raise millions of dollars for House…
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 25, 2023
Sherman also mentions the new office, which if all goes well won’t soon see a rioter with his feet up on the desk.
Man who rested feet on Pelosi office desk on Jan. 6 sentenced to over 4 years in prison https://t.co/u3jEG6821x pic.twitter.com/dtc212xhnZ
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) May 25, 2023
