There are currently 435 Senators. Each of whom earn $174,000 annually. An automatic cost of living adjustment to their salary has been in effect since 1989, with the exception of the last 3 years that President Obama has placed a freeze on. Their salaries stem from American tax payers with whom the average citizen has an annual salary of $60,000 or less and do not have an automatic cost of living adjustment to their salary. Decreasing the seats to 218 members would leave 4 representatives per state which is more than plenty and would decrease the payroll in Congress by a minumum of 37,758,000 per year. This does not include that amount of money a year that will be saved from each representatives staff member that they hire. Senators have no limit to how many staff members they hire.



