10 Hidden Perks of Being a Member of Congress Most Floridians Don’t Know About

A seat in Congress comes with the obvious things.

The high salary ($174,000 per year, to be exact). The office on Capitol Hill. The press attention. The power.

It also comes with a lesser-known set of benefits.

Here are 10 hidden perks of being a member of Congress that most Floridians have no idea exist.

Free Parking at Reagan and Dulles Airports

Members of Congress get free parking at Reagan National and Dulles International airports.

Eighty-nine spaces out of 8,000 at Reagan are reserved for members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, and diplomats.

At Dulles, 97 spaces out of 25,000 are set aside for the same group.

Members can also park free in any other paid lot at either airport, including hourly lots and valet spaces close to the terminals.

Parking at Reagan can run up to $36 a day in the closest lots. At Dulles, the valet lot costs $30 for the first day.

Members of Congress pay nothing.

Flexible Airline Booking and Multi-Flight Reservations

Members of Congress can book themselves on multiple flights at once and only pay for the one they actually take.

Major airlines, including Delta, have set up dedicated phone lines for Capitol Hill schedulers, allowing members to lock in seats on several flights throughout the day and choose which one to board.

“We get on every single flight,” a congressional aide told Roll Call.

For working professionals, this is the kind of flexibility that costs an extra $500 to $1,000 in fees per booking on a regular ticket.

For members of Congress, it’s standard.

A 72% Federal Subsidy on Health Insurance

Members of Congress purchase health insurance through DC Health Link, the small business exchange established under the Affordable Care Act.

The federal government covers about 72% of the premium.

For a family plan, that subsidy can run $15,000 to $20,000 per year, paid by the taxpayer. The member pays the remaining 28%.

Critics point out that members earning $174,000 a year would not qualify for any premium subsidy under the ACA’s income rules if they were buying insurance like ordinary Americans.

The 72% rate exists because Congress wrote it into the law for itself, mirroring the federal employer contribution.

A Lifetime Pension Worth Up to 80% of Salary

Members of Congress qualify for a lifetime federal pension after just five years of service.

The pension amount depends on age, years of service, and salary, but it can reach 80% of a member’s salary.

At the current $174,000 base, that’s up to $139,200 a year for life.

Over ten years of retirement, that pension equals nearly $1.4 million in taxpayer-funded benefits.

The average American Social Security recipient receives about $23,000 a year. The average public worker pension runs about $26,000 a year.

A retired member of Congress with full benefits can collect five to six times that.

A $174,000 Death Gratuity

If a member of Congress dies while in office, their family receives a one-time payment equal to a full year’s salary.

That’s $174,000.

For comparison, the families of U.S. military service members killed in action receive a death gratuity of $100,000, plus burial expenses.

The congressional death gratuity has been in place for decades and applies regardless of the cause of death.

It’s paid in addition to any pension benefits the surviving spouse may be entitled to.

A Million-Dollar Office Allowance

Each member of the House receives an annual Members’ Representational Allowance averaging around $1.27 million.

Each U.S. Senator receives an even larger Senate Official Personnel and Office Expense Account, averaging about $3.3 million per year.

The allowances cover staff salaries, district office rent, travel between Washington and the home state, official mail, supplies, and constituent services.

Members can structure spending across the categories as they see fit.

The funds don’t cover personal expenses or campaign costs. But they give each member the operating budget of a small business, paid entirely by the taxpayer.

Free Lifetime Access to the House Gym

The House Wellness Center is one of the best-kept perks on Capitol Hill.

Members of the House pay a “nominal” monthly fee (reported to be a few hundred dollars a year) for access to a gym with a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, paddleball courts, basketball courts, and full cardio and weight facilities.

Former members keep gym access for life.

The Senate has its own separate fitness facility for senators and former senators.

Both gyms stayed open during government shutdowns, which has drawn criticism from taxpayer watchdog groups in past years.

For private gym memberships in DC with similar amenities, members would pay $3,000 to $5,000 a year. The congressional version costs them a fraction of that.

Capitol Hill Basement Amenities

Underneath the House and Senate office buildings runs a network of basement amenities reserved for members of Congress and their staff.

Barber shops. Hair salons. Banks. Post offices. Shoe shine stands. A dry cleaner. Multiple restaurants and cafeterias. A flower shop.

Members can also take the Capitol’s underground tram between office buildings, a private rail system that connects the Senate and House offices directly to the Capitol.

Most of these amenities are open to staff and credentialed press at standard prices, but members of Congress get priority access and dedicated services.

The convenience adds up to hours of saved time every week.

Free Loan of Art From the Library of Congress

Members of Congress can borrow original works of art from the Library of Congress to decorate their offices.

The collection includes paintings, sculptures, prints, and rare documents valued well into the millions of dollars.

Members can hang Civil War-era political cartoons, original prints by famous American artists, or other historic pieces on their office walls.

The art is loaned for the duration of the member’s term and returned to the Library when the member leaves Congress.

For private collectors, similar works would run tens of thousands of dollars to rent for an event, let alone display for years.

A Million Dollars a Year for Former Speakers of the House

This one is the most exclusive.

By law, former Speakers of the House are entitled to receive up to $1 million per year for up to five years after leaving the Speakership, on top of their regular congressional pension.

The funds are described as helping the former Speaker “facilitate the administration, settlement, and conclusion of matters” related to their tenure.