IF YOU REPRESENT US, EARN LIKE US
The Issue
Congressional pay should reflect the people Congress represents.
Members of Congress are elected to represent the American people.
We believe their taxpayer-funded salary should reflect the economic reality of those people.
Today, members of Congress operate under a separate congressional salary structure. We are asking for something simpler:
Tie the base salary of every member of Congress to the median earnings of full-time, year-round workers in the state they represent.
If you represent us, earn like us.
What we're asking for
We are calling for a new congressional compensation system in which:
U.S. Senators receive a base salary equal to the median annual earnings of full-time, year-round workers in the state they represent.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives receive a base salary based on that same median earnings standard for their state.
The benchmark should come from an established, publicly available federal data source, such as the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, rather than an amount determined by members of Congress themselves.
The salary would adjust as the earnings of the people they represent change.
If earnings rise, congressional pay can rise with them.
If earnings stagnate, congressional pay reflects that reality too.
Why?
Members of Congress make decisions affecting wages, taxes, healthcare, housing, education, employment, small businesses, retirement and the cost of living.
Those decisions affect the everyday lives of the people they represent.
We believe congressional compensation should maintain a direct connection to those same economic realities.
This is not about punishing public servants.
It is not about Republicans versus Democrats.
It is about representation and accountability.
A senator representing a state should have a salary tied to the earnings of workers in that state.
A representative elected by the people of a state should operate under that same standard.
No political party gets a different rule.
No individual member gets a different rule.
What this proposal does NOT do
This proposal applies specifically to members of the United States Congress.
It does not apply to the President of the United States, federal judges, members of the military, or other federal employees.
It does not attempt to dictate anyone's personal wealth, investments, or income earned before entering public service.
It addresses one thing:
The taxpayer-funded base salary received for serving in Congress.
Our request
We, the undersigned, call upon Congress and the states to pursue the legislative and, if necessary, constitutional action required to establish a congressional compensation system tied to the median annual earnings of full-time, year-round workers in the state each member represents.
The measure should be based on official federal earnings data and updated on a regular, predetermined schedule.
Congress should not operate under a salary standard disconnected from the people it was elected to represent.
Public service is representation.
And representation should come with a shared economic reality.
IF YOU REPRESENT US, EARN LIKE US.
2
The Issue
Congressional pay should reflect the people Congress represents.
Members of Congress are elected to represent the American people.
We believe their taxpayer-funded salary should reflect the economic reality of those people.
Today, members of Congress operate under a separate congressional salary structure. We are asking for something simpler:
Tie the base salary of every member of Congress to the median earnings of full-time, year-round workers in the state they represent.
If you represent us, earn like us.
What we're asking for
We are calling for a new congressional compensation system in which:
U.S. Senators receive a base salary equal to the median annual earnings of full-time, year-round workers in the state they represent.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives receive a base salary based on that same median earnings standard for their state.
The benchmark should come from an established, publicly available federal data source, such as the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, rather than an amount determined by members of Congress themselves.
The salary would adjust as the earnings of the people they represent change.
If earnings rise, congressional pay can rise with them.
If earnings stagnate, congressional pay reflects that reality too.
Why?
Members of Congress make decisions affecting wages, taxes, healthcare, housing, education, employment, small businesses, retirement and the cost of living.
Those decisions affect the everyday lives of the people they represent.
We believe congressional compensation should maintain a direct connection to those same economic realities.
This is not about punishing public servants.
It is not about Republicans versus Democrats.
It is about representation and accountability.
A senator representing a state should have a salary tied to the earnings of workers in that state.
A representative elected by the people of a state should operate under that same standard.
No political party gets a different rule.
No individual member gets a different rule.
What this proposal does NOT do
This proposal applies specifically to members of the United States Congress.
It does not apply to the President of the United States, federal judges, members of the military, or other federal employees.
It does not attempt to dictate anyone's personal wealth, investments, or income earned before entering public service.
It addresses one thing:
The taxpayer-funded base salary received for serving in Congress.
Our request
We, the undersigned, call upon Congress and the states to pursue the legislative and, if necessary, constitutional action required to establish a congressional compensation system tied to the median annual earnings of full-time, year-round workers in the state each member represents.
The measure should be based on official federal earnings data and updated on a regular, predetermined schedule.
Congress should not operate under a salary standard disconnected from the people it was elected to represent.
Public service is representation.
And representation should come with a shared economic reality.
IF YOU REPRESENT US, EARN LIKE US.
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Petition created on September 23, 2026