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Witness urges overhaul of Member office budgets, cites rising staff costs and turnover
Summary
A former House staffer told the House Appropriations subcommittee the Member Representational Allowance (MRA) and clerk-hire component lag market staffing costs, proposing data-driven changes and improvements to House staff datasets.
A former House staffer told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch during a fiscal year 2026 public witness hearing that Member Representational Allowances are out of step with real-world staffing costs and are driving turnover in congressional offices.
The witness, identified in the hearing as Mr. Awan, said the clerk-hire component of the MRA — the allotment intended for member office staff salaries — has not been set based on up-to-date, institution-wide data. "If we want to stop the revolving door that's draining institutional knowledge and undercuts legislative and constituent services, we have to…
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