An across-the-board pay increase of 1% for federal employees was finalized at the end of last week when the president issued an executive order putting the pay rates into place.
Buried in one of the documents put out by the Office of Personnel Management when it set up the 2015 pay tables was language that notes that Members of Congress will stay under their pay freeze in 2015. Congress has not had any raises since 2009. Most members of Congress make $174,00 per year. Leaders make $193,400 per year and the Speaker of the House earns $223,500 per year.
The president and vice president will not be getting raises in 2015 either. The 2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act contains a provision that blocks a pay increase for the vice president and senior political appointees. Joe Biden earns $230,700 per year and Barack Obama’s annual salary is $400,000, but he also gets a $50,000 annual expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account, and $19,000 for entertainment. The most recent raise for the office of the president was approved by Congress and president Bill Clinton in 1999 and went into effect in 2001.
The annual salaries for the vice president and Members of Congress are listed in the table below.
| Position | Salary |
|---|---|
| Vice President | $230,700 |
| Senator | $174,000 |
| Representative | $174,000 |
| Majority and Minority Leaders | $193,400 |
| Speaker of the House | $223,500 |
