As the halls of Congress prepare for a changing of the guard, a wave of early retirements from high-profile lawmakers has cast a spotlight on a long-standing and little-understood perk: the congressional pension system. Among those stepping away are two of the most recognizable figures on Capitol Hill—Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who broke the marble ceiling as the first and only woman to serve as Speaker of the House. Their departures, and the pensions they’ll collect, have reignited debate over whether taxpayers should continue to foot the bill for these generous post-service benefits.
According to reporting by the New York Post and corroborated by Congressional Research Services data, the annual cost to taxpayers for congressional pensions is a staggering $38 million. This figure covers a record number of lawmakers opting not to seek re-election in 2026—a trend that includes both Greene and Pelosi. Under current federal law, members of Congress must serve at least five years to qualify for a pension. Greene, who began her tenure on January 3, 2021, and will officially leave on January 5, 2026, has timed her exit to meet this eligibility threshold.
“I can’t read her mind, but it certainly seems as if it was timed to make sure she got vested,” said Demian Brady, vice president of research for the National Taxpayer Union Foundation, in an interview with the New York Post. Brady, a recognized expert on congressional compensation, calculated that Greene’s pension, beginning at age 62, will be $8,717 per year—lower than the average payout. Over her lifetime, this could add up to more than $265,000, based on actuarial tables.
Greene, who announced her resignation in November 2025 with a video message, offered a candid reflection on her time in Washington: “I’ve always been despised in Washington, D.C., and just never fit in.” Her decision, while controversial to some, has inadvertently shone a light on the pension system, a benefit that many Americans are only now learning about.
On the other end of the spectrum is Nancy Pelosi, who after nearly four decades in Congress, will receive one of the most substantial pensions on record for any member under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Her estimated annual benefit: $107,860, beginning in 2027. Pelosi’s long service and leadership roles, including two stints as Speaker, have contributed to this sizable sum. In her retirement announcement, posted to social media in December, Pelosi addressed her beloved hometown: “As we go forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power. We have made history; we have made progress. We have always led the way, and now we must continue to do so by remaining full participants in our democracy, and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.”
Pelosi’s legacy is not only defined by her longevity but by her legislative impact. As RadarOnline.com and other outlets have highlighted, she played pivotal roles in passing Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare bill, advancing Joe Biden’s infrastructure and climate change initiatives, and fiercely challenging Donald Trump—most memorably by ripping up his State of the Union address on national television. Her career began as a member of the Democratic National Committee and took off in 1988 with a special election win. Early in her tenure, she was a leading voice in the fight against AIDS, co-authoring the Ryan White CARE Act and appointing Stephen Morin, a gay man, to head AIDS policy in her office. Pelosi’s retirement marks the end of an era for women in leadership, a point she underscored in her 2007 speech upon becoming Speaker: “For our daughters and our granddaughters, today, we have broken the marble ceiling. For our daughters and our granddaughters, the sky is the limit, anything is possible for them.”
The mechanics of congressional pensions are complex. The FERS program, which covers most lawmakers, paid out an average annual annuity of $45,276 in 2022. There’s also the older Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), now closed to new enrollees, which paid an average of $84,504 to a shrinking pool of retirees. Members also accrue savings through the Thrift Savings Plan—a 401(k)-style program available to federal employees. According to the Congressional Research Services, total pension payouts for former members of Congress exceeded $38 million in 2022 alone. In 2018, when there were more CSRS enrollees, the annual cost topped $53 million.
The growing price tag, especially as more lawmakers retire, has fueled calls for reform. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican and ally of Greene, has been among the most vocal critics of the system. “Senators can opt out of paying into FERS but Representatives may not,” Massie told the New York Post. “So Representative Greene was unable to decline participation in FERS. If a member is required to pay into the program, they should be able to receive it.”
Massie plans to “reintroduce soon” legislation to end congressional pensions and make participation optional for Representatives. “If congressmen want to save for retirement, they should do so with 401(k)-type plans, rather than rely on taxpayers to take care of them even after leaving Congress,” he argued. “To tackle out-of-control federal spending, Congress must lead by example by ending defined-benefit pensions for Members of Congress.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, himself a former congressman, has echoed these sentiments. Back in 2013, DeSantis pledged not to accept his congressional pension and authored a bill—co-sponsored by Massie—to eliminate the benefit. “I didn’t run for Congress for the perks,” DeSantis said. “I ran for office to be the type of citizen legislator our Founding Fathers envisioned and to change the prevailing culture in Washington.” After Greene’s resignation announcement, DeSantis renewed his call to “axe the benefit program,” posting on X, “How many private sector workers get a pension and a 401k? End Pensions in Congress.” He acknowledged the uphill battle, noting that his original bill “did not get a terribly warm reception among the members.”
Brady, the taxpayer advocate, sees entrenched interests as the main hurdle to reform. “I think the big roadblock are career politicians,” he told the New York Post. “They spend their whole, you know, decades and decades in public office, and so they’re going to want that pension once they get out. I think that’s the main block on any reforms going forward.” Still, the recent spate of retirements and the public attention they’ve drawn may be shifting the conversation.
Neither Greene nor Pelosi responded to requests for comment about their retirement decisions or the pension system. As the debate continues, one thing is clear: the issue of congressional pensions—who gets them, how much they cost, and whether they should exist at all—will remain a flashpoint as new faces take their seats in the House and Senate. For taxpayers and lawmakers alike, the stakes are as high as ever.
