How Much Members of Congress Have Been Paid During Recesses This Year
Summary
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives will receive about $91,051 each in salary for nearly seven weeks when they are not meeting in session before the November 2026 midterm elections. The House Republican leaders canceled the last voting days before the election, allowing members to focus on campaigning, which drew criticism from some lawmakers who believe important work is being neglected.Key Facts
- House members will be paid roughly $91,051 each for 191 days when the House is not in session from January to November 8, 2026.
- The House was scheduled to meet about 121 days, or 39% of the 312 calendar days in that period.
- Republican leaders canceled the final voting days before the November midterm elections, leading to a nearly seven-week recess.
- Lawmakers are still paid their salaries during these recess periods, even when no votes occur.
- Some members, like Representative Ralph Norman, criticized lawmakers for campaigning instead of working and said taxpayer money should not pay for that.
- Representative Thomas Massie argued the early recess was to avoid voting on impeachment and other key legislation.
- Representative Jim McGovern called this Congress the "laziest and least effective" due to the low number of days in session.
- There are 535 voting members in Congress, including 435 Representatives and 100 Senators.
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