Congressional pay for rank-and-file members is $174,000 and hasn’t been adjusted since 2009.

A recent change allows members to claim reimbursement for some lodging expenses, aimed at helping those struggling to maintain two residences.

“It changes the makeup a lot,” the Wisconsin Republican said in an interview. “We have a real disincentive for people to run for Congress unless you’re a fairly affluent person. People think that $174,000 is a lot of money — and if you’re making $50 to $60,000, it appears that way. But having that separate place to live and providing utilities in a very expensive city, you burn through that money pretty quickly.”