Order Code 98-53 GOV
Updated November 1, 2002
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Salaries of Federal Officials:
A Fact Sheet
Sharon S. Gressle
Specialist in American National Government
Government and Finance Division
The Ethics Reform Act of 1989 provides for an annual salary adjustment for all
positions on the Executive Schedule as well as for Members and leaders of the Senate and
the House of Representatives (103 Stat. 1716, at 1769). Adjustments are based on the
percent of change in the private sector wages and salaries element of the Employment
Cost Index (ECI) minus 0.5%. They are to go into effect at the same time as, and at a rate
no greater than, the base pay rate adjustments for the General Schedule (GS). By law (95
Stat. 1183, at 1200), judges’ salaries must be authorized separately.
1994. Congress legislated a freeze on the salaries of Members of Congress for
calendar year 1994. With no GS base salary adjustment, there was no “automatic”
adjustment in 1994 for officials in the three branches (107 Stat. 35 and 107 Stat. 1226,
at 1253).
1995. Projected adjustment: 2.6%. The FY1995 Treasury Appropriations Act
provided that there would be no adjustment for federal officials (108 Stat. 2328, at 2424).
1996. Projected adjustment: 2.3%. The FY1996 Treasury Appropriations Act
provided that there would be no adjustment for federal officials (109 Stat. 468, at 507).
1997. Projected adjustment: 2.3%. The FY1997 Treasury Appropriations Act
provided that there would be no adjustment for federal officials (110 Stat. 3009-364).
1998. Adjustment: 2.3%, a rate equal to the January 1998 adjustment for GS base
pay. No legislation was enacted to withhold the pay adjustment for federal officials.
1999. Projected adjustment: 3.1%. The FY1999 Treasury Appropriations Act
provided that there would be no adjustment for federal officials (112 Stat. 2681, at 2681-
58).
2000. Adjustment: 3.4%. (P.L. 106-113 authorized judicial pay adjustment.)
2001. Adjustment: 2.7%. Projected 3.0% adjustment limited by GS base pay rate.
No legislation was enacted to withhold the pay adjustment for federal officials. (P.L.
106-553 authorized the judicial salary adjustment.)
2002. Adjustment: 3.4%. (P.L. 107-77 authorized the judicial salary adjustment.)
Executive Order 13249, December 28, 2001, established the schedules and pay rates.
2003. Projected: 3.1%. ECI formula would result in 3.3% but GS base adjustment
is projected to be 3.1%
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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Table 1. Salaries of Federal Officials
Rates
Projected
Position
Jan. 2002
Jan. 2003
Legislative Branch
Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate)
$192,600
$198,600
Speaker of the House of Representatives
192,600
198,600
President Pro Tempore of the Senate
166,700
171,900
Majority and Minority Leaders—House and Senate
166,700
171,900
Senators, Representatives, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico,
and Delegates
150,000
154,700
Judicial Branch
Chief Justice of the United States
$192,600
198,600
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court
184,400
190,100
Judges, U.S. Courts of Appeal
159,100
164,000
Judges, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
159,100
164,000
Judges, U.S. District Courts
150,000
154,700
Judges, United States Claims Court
150,000
154,700
Judges, Court of International Trade
150,000
154,700
Judges, Tax Court of the United States
150,000
154,700
Bankruptcy Judges
138,000
142,300
Executive Branch
President of the United Statesa
$400,000
$400,000
Executive Schedule
Level I: Cabinet-level officials
$166,700
$171,900
Level II: Deputy secretaries of departments, secretaries of military
departments, & heads of major agencies
150,000
154,700
Level III: Under secretaries of departments & heads of middle-level
agencies
138,200
142,500
Level IV: Assistant secretaries & general counsels of departments, heads
of minor agencies, members of certain boards & commissions
130,000
134,000
Level V: Administrators, commissioners, directors, & members of
boards, commissions, or units of agencies
121,600
125,400
Senior Executive Service (SES) Base Pay Rates Effective January 2002b
ES-1
$113,000
ES-2
$118,300
ES-3
$123,700
ES-4
$129,800
ES-5
$130,000
ES-6
$130,000
a. Effective noon, January 20, 2001.
b. Executive Order 13249, Dec. 28, 2001, 67 Federal Register 639. SES salaries are set by the President. The base pay
rates were changed, and locality-based comparability payments were extended to the SES in January 2002. SES
maximum base rates are capped at Level IV of the Executive Schedule, and the locality-based payments are capped
at Level III of the Executive Schedule. Payable rates in the Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV area—ES-1,
$125,972; ES-2, $131,881; ES-3, $137,901; ES-4, $138,200; ES-5, $138,200; and ES-6, $138,200.

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