MYTH VS FACT
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
It started with email, now it’s social media – it’s easier than ever to spread false information. When I came to Washington there were a few things I’d heard through the rumor mill about Members of Congress. I want to clear up a few myths with facts.
MYTH: Members of Congress can retire and receive a salary or pension for life after serving just a single, two-year term.
FACT: Members of Congress are eligible to start earning a pension after five years, similar to federal employees. A three-term (6 years) Congressman would be eligible for a pension once they turn 62 years old. It would be around $17k – generous but not full pay.
MYTH: Members of Congress receive free health care.
FACT: Members of Congress and staffers who want employer coverage are required to pay a portion of the premium, similar to many private employers. I believe Congress should live under the laws it makes, so my staff and I buy our health insurance on the Obamacare exchange. There are several members who’ve chosen to pay for private health insurance or are on their spouse’s plan. My family pays $9,673.56 a year for health insurance. Like most Americans, I expect it to go up next year.
MYTH: Members of Congress are exempt from Obamacare.
FACT: Members of Congress and their personal staffers were included in Obamacare when it passed in 2010. Section 1312 of the law requires members of Congress and staff to use an Obamacare plan if they choose employer sponsored health care.
MYTH: Members of Congress get free housing in Washington, D.C.
FACT: I give this one three Pinocchios. Members of Congress do not receive free housing or any housing reimbursement. I rent a bedroom from a nice couple who has lived in Washington for years.
MYTH: Members of Congress, their staff and their families do not have to pay back student loans.
FACT: There is no student loan benefit for Members of Congress or their family. There is a student loan repayment program for congressional staff members.
MYTH: Members of Congress do not pay into Social Security.
FACT: According to the Social Security Administration, All Members of Congress, the President and Vice President, Federal judges, and most political appointees, have to pay into the system just like everyone else. All Members have been paying into Social Security since January 1984.
MYTH: Members of Congress vote to increase their own pay all the time.
FACT: Congressional salaries have not increased (including cost of living adjustments) since 2009. The annual salary of a rank and file Member of Congress (like me) is $174,000. The last time Congress unilaterally changed its salary was in 1989, which included a cost of living adjustment.
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Myth: Congressmen are experts in all issues. Fact: They are not and like the saying if one can, do it; if they can’t, teach. Congressmen, especially the three amigos from South Dakota have zero acumen on national and world issues as in the current trade wars of Donald Trump. The damage done by Johnson et al will be irreversible for South Dakota’s agriculture and South Dakota for decades, if not forever.
I thank you for that fact page. So how do so many (all) become so rich with salary’s do low? O I forgot get a real wage and see how that feels. Most of us are 30-60k incomes here paying 12k for insurance