# Congressional Pay During Early Recess

> House members get $91,051 each for 191 days not in session before November elections
- Title: Congressional Pay During Early Recess · Newsweek | Shortify
- Summary: House members get $91,051 each for 191 days not in session before November elections House members receive $91,051 per member for 191 days not in session…
- Keywords: house of representatives, congressional pay, midterm elections, speaker mike johnson, republican leadership, impeachment vote, congressional recess, seattle, Congressional, Pay, During, Early
- Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/how-much-members-congress-being-paid-pto-12453780
- Published: 2026-09-17T15:16:10+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: house of representatives, congressional pay, midterm elections, speaker mike johnson, republican leadership, impeachment vote, congressional recess, seattle
## House Pay Calculation
House members receive $91,051 each for 191 days not in session between January and November 8, 2026
## Early Recess Decision
Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the final voting day to let lawmakers campaign ahead of November elections
## Lawmaker Reaction
Ralph Norman called the pay decision unfair as lawmakers campaign instead of doing their jobs

> Let's call it what it is. This close to an election, many Members are campaigning. If campaigning takes up the majority of their time, their campaigns should pay them, not taxpayers.
## Impeachment Avoidance
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie claimed the early recess avoids impeachment votes on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

> Why are we canceling session when there’s so much important work to be done? It’s because they want to avoid voting on my Epstein legislation and the impeachment of Hegseth.
## Campaign Impact
Lawmakers will be out of session for 54 days, adding to 138 days not in session this year
## Pay Source
Congressional salaries come from federal tax revenue paid by the U.S. Treasury
## Key takeaway

House members receive $91,051 per member for 191 days not in session before November elections