AOC: $174,000 Congressional Salary Difficult on ‘Working and Middle Class’ Lawmakers

The $174,000 congressional salary is difficult on “working and middle class” lawmakers, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) asserted this week on Instagram.

“Only 10 women in the history of the United States have ever given birth while serving in Congress. 10,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a story posted to her Instagram, referring to the U.S. House of Representatives as a “hostile place to have a baby,” as vote schedules “pretty much” assume that no one has a family, as they change often and require frequent travel.

Not only that, Ocasio-Cortez complained, but there are thousands of dollars worth of out-of-pocket expenses.

“The job requires you to pay $25k+ in out of pocket work expenses that are NOT reimbursable or tax deductible, no housing allowance despite requiring you to pay for/rent 2 homes or else risk losing your job (hence the above huge work expenses), no included dental or vision insurance, no eligibility for PSLF, etc.,” she said, noting that her points are unpopular, citing “a lot of fake memes about Congress voting to give themselves pay increases.” – READ MORE