LegiStorm

A Republican House staffer has landed a position at Southwest Airlines.

Rachel Black is now federal affairs director at Southwest Airlines Co. She was most recently legislative director for Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas). Black previously worked for Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.), Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) and Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas).

Southwest Airlines spent nearly $2 million on federal lobbying in 2023. 

A Republican staffer has moved to Big Pharma after six years on Capitol Hill.

Liam McDonald is now a director of federal government affairs at pharmaceutical conglomerate GSK plc. He most recently served as a legislative assistant for Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) with a legislative portfolio including health policy. McDonald previously worked for Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Phil Roe (R-Tenn.).

GSK, formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline, spent more than five million dollars on federal lobbying in 2023, the last full year for which records are available.

Many House staffers have long counted on holiday bonuses to make up a substantial proportion of their annual income. But, amid last year's record salary levels, the chamber shifted its emphasis away from end-of-year bonuses in favor of pay distributed more evenly throughout the year, a LegiStorm analysis indicates.

House staffers working for member offices received 11.9% more money in the fourth quarter than in previous quarters ― an average end-of-year bonus of about $2,500 per staffer. In 2021 and 2019, staffers received fourth-quarter pay bumps of 24.0% ($4,000) and 19.3% ($3,000), respectively. End-of-year bonuses are typically lower in non-election years.

As a proportion of their total quarterly income, House staffers in 2023 received their lowest end-of-year bonuses since 2013, which saw an average estimated bonus of 11.6% ($1,500).

Despite the higher bonuses of recent years, staffers still come out ahead. The median House staffer made $73,300 last year, including any bonuses. That's $13,700 more than the median staffer's 2021 pay of $59,600 and $18,900 more than 2019's median $54,400.

Members don't explicitly report bonuses in their quarterly expense reports. To estimate bonuses, LegiStorm compares average quarterly salaries to find payment increases in the fourth quarter.

Republican House staffers made a median salary thousands less than House Democrats last year, according to a new LegiStorm analysis.

The median Republican House staffer received an annual salary of $71,700 in 2023 ― 5% less than Democrats' $75,400 median. That's a difference of $3,700 a year.

Rep. Grace Napolitano's (D-Calif.) office paid a median salary of $118,700, the House's highest. Fellow Democratic Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) shelled out the next highest, at $108,100 and $106,400, respectively.

But not all Democrats pay top dollar: The House's lowest median salary belonged to Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who paid his median staffer only $48,500. That puts the median salary in Napolitano's office at nearly 2.5 times that of Cuellar's.

This analysis, which includes only those staffers working full time and on a permanent basis, examines House personal-office salary rates from January-December 2023.

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) accepted $63,000 in privately funded travel in 2023 ― the seventh highest of any member of Congress that year. Since announcing in early January that he will not seek reelection, Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) has already beaten that.

Less than two weeks after announcing that he will retire at the end of this term, Bucshon embarked on a week-long trip to Japan, sponsored by Former Members of Congress. The interest group spent $227,000 total on eight members and several of their spouses, including $35,300 on Bucshon and his wife. This was Bucshon's fifth year attending FMC's Japanese "study tour," which focuses on U.S.-Japanese policy and cultural issues.

A month later, Bucshon and his wife traveled to South Africa, courtesy of the Aspen Institute. The week-long program focused on U.S.-African relations and cost the institute $416,000 total for 18 members and several of their spouses. The Bucshons' travel was worth $28,200, according to ethics disclosures.

Bucshon's two trips clock in at a value of $63,500, all within the first three months of the year. The highest total travel expenses in 2023 belonged to Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.) at $91,000. Bucshon accepted travel worth $47,700 that year.

Privately sponsored travel is typically much lower in election years.