U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 9, 2023. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia’s impending resignation from Congress sparked a flurry of questions and misinformation about what health and retirement benefits lawmakers will receive when they leave public service.
The system is somewhat elaborate and depends on when a lawmaker entered Congress and how long they stayed there. Members must serve at least five years, which puts Greene just above the eligibility threshold when she officially resigns in January.
Members of Congress elected after 1984 are covered by the Federal Employees’ Retirement System. The four previously elected members of the House of Representatives and one senator may be subject to the Civil Service Retirement System, so their benefits may be calculated differently than those of their colleagues.
The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service explains in a report Regarding retirement benefits, the law states that “the pensions, like those of other federal employees, are funded by a combination of employee and employer contributions.”
“Under both CSRS and FERS, members of Congress are eligible for a pension at age 62 if they have completed at least five years of service,” the report said. “Members are entitled to a pension at the age of 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. The amount of the pension depends on the length of service (measured in months) and the average of the highest three years of salary. According to the law, the initial amount of a member’s retirement pension cannot exceed 80% of his final salary.”
All members must also pay into Social Security, and the amount of taxes they pay and benefits they receive is the same for all beneficiaries.
Members of Congress, excluding leadership positions, receive $174,000 per year.
Greene, who began her congressional career on January 3, 2021, will have narrowly exceeded the five-year deadline when she officially resigns on January 5.
Greene will receive about $8,700 per year in retirement benefits for the rest of her life after she turns 62. She is now 51 years aged.
Former U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who was first sworn in on June 2, 1987 after winning a special election, will receive significantly more pension benefits because she was a member for decades longer than Greene and had a higher salary during her time in office.
The National Taxpayers Union Foundation expected Pelosi will receive an annual pension of $107,860 upon her retirement in January 2027.
Health insurance benefits
Members of Congress who are retiring or resigning are eligible to purchase health insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program as long as they had health insurance on the District of Columbia’s Affordable Care Act marketplace “for the five years of service immediately preceding their retirement,” according to another CRS report.
In Congress, lawmakers have the right to have a portion of their health insurance offset by their employer — the federal government — as long as they purchase it through the DC marketplace, known as DC Health Link. Like others in the states, it was created by the Affordable Care Act.
As with group health insurance, the amount subsidized by the federal government depends on whether a legislator chooses a health insurance plan that covers himself or herself and eligible family members.
