Congressional spending is a moving target, but the recent numbers make the direction easier to read than the politics around them. The legislative branch budget has climbed and fallen across the last several fiscal years, while individual congressional accounts show how the money is split across institutions, offices, and support functions.
Table of contents
- At a glance
- Legislative branch funding by fiscal year
- How FY2024 spending is divided
- House and Senate account details
- What the recent requests and enacted levels say
- Member pay and office-level benchmarks
At a glance
Fast facts
- FY2024 enacted legislative-branch funding was $6.749 billion, down from $6.899 billion in FY2023 (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- FY2025 budget appendix request: $7.256 billion, which is 7.4% above FY2024 enacted funding (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- The FY2025 House-reported legislative-branch bill would have provided $5.545 billion, or $189.2 million above the comparable FY2024 enacted level (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- FY2024 budget appendix request: $7.134 billion, which was 3.4% above FY2023 enacted funding (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- The FY2024 budget amendment reduced the legislative-branch request by $17 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
Why it matters
Congressional spending is not one line item. It is a set of budgets for the Senate, the House, the Capitol Police, the Architect of the Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Government Publishing Office, the Government Accountability Office, and other legislative support accounts. The data below shows both the overall funding path and the internal structure behind it.
Congressional spending statistics by fiscal year
The best way to read congressional spending statistics is to look at the long view first, then narrow down to the latest appropriations cycle. The legislative branch total moved across a wide range over the decade and then pushed higher again in the early 2020s.
| Fiscal year | Legislative-branch funding | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | $4.669 billion | Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report |
| FY2013 | $4.061 billion | Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report |
| FY2018 | $4.700 billion | Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report |
| FY2022 | $5.924 billion | Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report |
| FY2023 | $6.899 billion | Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report |
| FY2024 enacted | $6.749 billion | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| FY2025 request | $7.256 billion | Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report |
A few patterns stand out from that table.
- FY2013 was the low point in the supplied series at $4.061 billion (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- The increase from FY2013 to FY2023 was substantial, rising from $4.061 billion to $6.899 billion (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- FY2024 enacted funding at $6.749 billion came in below FY2023, while the FY2025 request at $7.256 billion moved the request back above the prior enacted level (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report; Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
What the annual funding path shows
The congressional spending statistics here are useful because they show both direction and volatility. The legislative-branch total did not move in a straight line.
Key takeaways
- The legislative branch was funded at $4.669 billion in FY2010 (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- It fell to $4.061 billion in FY2013 (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- It then recovered to $4.700 billion in FY2018 (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- By FY2022, it reached $5.924 billion (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- In FY2023, it rose to $6.899 billion (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- In FY2024 enacted, it was $6.749 billion (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
That sequence matters because it turns ?Congressional spending? from a generic phrase into a trend line. The long-term rise is visible, but so are the year-to-year shifts that depend on enacted appropriations, requests, and committee action.
Big number: The supplied series crosses from $4.061 billion in FY2013 to $7.256 billion requested for FY2025 (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report), showing how much the legislative branch budget has expanded over time.
FY2024 congressional spending by major accounts
FY2024 is the most useful snapshot because it includes a full enacted baseline plus several specific office and agency allocations. That makes it easier to see where congressional spending actually goes.
| FY2024 account | Enacted funding | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | $1.255 billion | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| House of Representatives | $1.851 billion | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| Joint Items | $28.042 million | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| Capitol Police | $791.473 million | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| OCWR | $8.150 million | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| Congressional Budget Office | $70.000 million | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| Architect of the Capitol | $947.313 million | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| Library of Congress, including CRS | $852.158 million | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| CRS non-add | $136.080 million | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| Government Publishing Office | $131.999 million | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| Government Accountability Office | $811.894 million | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| COIL | $6.000 million | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
| Stennis Center | $0.430 million | Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report |
The table shows two broad things.
First, the largest individual legislative-branch accounts are the House, Senate, Architect of the Capitol, Library of Congress, Capitol Police, and Government Accountability Office (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
Second, there are smaller support and oversight accounts that still matter because they reflect the operating structure of Congress itself, including Joint Items, the Congressional Budget Office, Government Publishing Office, COIL, and the Stennis Center (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
A note on scale
The FY2024 enacted total of $6.749 billion is not just the sum of visible chamber budgets. It also includes infrastructure, police, publishing, budget analysis, and service functions that keep the institution running (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
House spending statistics in FY2024
The House side includes a dense set of office and staff accounts, which makes it a good place to study congressional spending statistics in more detail.
House-level figures
- The FY2024 House enacted appropriation was $1.851 billion (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- The House leadership offices were funded at $36.560 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- The House Members? Representational Allowance was $810.000 million (H. Rept. 118-120).
- The House committee employees account totaled $211.881 million (H. Rept. 118-120).
- House salaries, officers and employees were funded at $324.879 million (H. Rept. 118-120).
- House government contributions were $392.368 million (H. Rept. 118-120).
The House data also shows how operational support gets broken down.
Selected House office accounts
- Office of the Clerk: $41.455 million (H. Rept. 118-120).
- Office of the Sergeant at Arms: $38.793 million (H. Rept. 118-120).
- Office of Chief Administrative Officer: $213.072 million (H. Rept. 118-120).
- House transition activities: $5.895 million (H. Rept. 118-120).
- House Green and Gold Congressional Aide Program: $3.356 million (H. Rept. 118-120).
- House Modernization Initiatives Account: $10.000 million (H. Rept. 118-120).
These amounts are important because they show that congressional spending is not just about the chamber floor. It also funds administration, transitions, internal operations, modernization, and member support.
House committee and intern allowances
One of the clearest ways to understand congressional spending statistics is to look at allowances. They translate abstract appropriations into practical limits for member offices and committees.
| FY2024 House allowance | Amount | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Member office intern allowance | $20.6388 million | H. Rept. 118-120 |
| Intern allowance cap per Member office | $46,800 | H. Rept. 118-120 |
| House leadership intern allowance | $586,000 | H. Rept. 118-120 |
| Standing/special/select committee intern allowance | $2.600 million | H. Rept. 118-120 |
| Appropriations Committee intern allowance | $463,000 | H. Rept. 118-120 |
A few observations follow directly from the numbers:
- The member office intern allowance total is much larger than the individual per-office cap, because the overall amount covers many offices (H. Rept. 118-120).
- The standing/special/select committee intern allowance is larger than the Appropriations Committee intern allowance, which shows that committees are not funded uniformly (H. Rept. 118-120).
- The table separates one-time or special structures from recurring office operations, which is useful when reading congressional spending statistics as a budget system rather than a single appropriation line (H. Rept. 118-120).
Senate spending statistics in FY2024
The Senate side is smaller than the House side in this dataset, but it still includes several important line items.
- FY2024 Senate enacted appropriations: $1.255 billion (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Expense allowances and representation: $0.225 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Salaries, officers, and employees: $277.838 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Office of Legislative Counsel funding: $8.650 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Office of Legal Counsel funding: $1.365 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Office of the Legislative Counsel budget request: $8.983 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Senate Sergeant at Arms office operations: $7.830 million in the explanatory materials (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
That list gives a useful look at the Senate’s internal budget architecture. The headline number is the total appropriation, but the subaccounts show the staffing and legal-support structure behind it.
Capitol Police and infrastructure spending
Congressional spending also covers physical security and the facilities that support the institution.
- Capitol Police enacted funding: $791.473 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Capitol Police salaries: $588.627 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Capitol Police general expenses: $202.846 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Architect of the Capitol enacted funding: $947.313 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- AOC capital construction and operations: $152.507 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Capitol Building funding within the AOC account: $95.688 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- House Office Buildings funding within the AOC account: $166.426 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Capitol Power Plant funding within the AOC account: $148.650 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Capitol Police Buildings and Grounds and Security funding within the AOC account: $85.207 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Capitol Visitor Center funding within the AOC account: $28.000 million (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
These numbers show why congressional spending statistics can look larger than people expect. The legislative branch budget includes not only lawmakers and staff, but also police, buildings, grounds, power, and visitor facilities.
Current pay benchmarks in congressional spending statistics
Some of the most concrete data in the source set comes from salary figures.
- Since January 1, 2024, the salary for a House Member has been $174,000 (House Radio-Television Gallery).
- Since January 1, 2024, the Speaker’s salary has been $223,500 (House Radio-Television Gallery).
- Since January 1, 2024, the Majority/Minority Leader salary has been $193,400 (House Radio-Television Gallery).
These salary figures give readers a direct benchmark for congressional spending at the individual level. They are smaller numbers than the major account totals, but they help anchor the larger budget story in specific pay levels.
Reading the spending changes without overreading them
The data supports a disciplined reading of congressional spending statistics:
- The legislative branch total has generally trended upward across the supplied years, with some year-to-year movement (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- FY2024 enacted funding was below FY2023, which matters because it shows enacted appropriations can fall even after a multi-year rise (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report; Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- FY2025 requested funding is higher than FY2024 enacted funding, so the next budget cycle begins from a higher request level (Legislative Branch: FY2025 Appropriations CRS report).
- House and Senate spending are only part of the picture; security, buildings, publishing, analysis, and administrative functions make up a large share of the legislative branch budget (Legislative Branch: FY2024 Appropriations CRS report).
- Internal allowances and office accounts reveal how congressional spending is distributed, not just how much is spent overall (H. Rept. 118-120).
The strongest use case for these statistics is comparison. The same dataset lets you compare year over year, chamber to chamber, and office to office without needing to go beyond the supplied figures.