Pelosi announces maximum salary hike for House staffers to over $200,000

Outgoing Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced the implementation of a new maximum salary for House staffers, saying the hike was necessary to attract and retain top talent in Congress.

The California Democrat made the announcement Friday in a Dear Colleague letter. 

We 'must do all we can to retain and recruit the best talent in our nation – and to build a Congressional workforce that reflects the communities we are honored to serve," she wrote. 

The House, she said, “will raise the maximum annual rate of pay for staff to $212,100.”

The hike is commensurate with other recent federal pay raises, the speaker said. 

Hailing other recent pay hikes and benefit increases throughout Congress, Pelosi also wrote. "This work must continue into the 118th Congress and beyond, as we carry on our dutiful stewardship of this historic institution."