Top Democrat who leads Hispanic caucus under fire

[brooklynite]

Washington Post

Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) is under fire for failing to retain staff after barely a month leading the Congressional Hispanic Caucus as their newly elected chairwoman.

On Thursday, Barragán fired the group’s executive director, Jacky Usyk, a widely respected Capitol Hill veteran who had only been in the role for one month. The CHC now has no staffers on its typical five-person payroll after all staff quit or found new jobs, leaving Barragán unable to recruit new talent. She has a reputation as a difficult boss who has long faced accusations about how poorly she treats employees, according to numerous lawmakers and staffers.

“Jacky is no longer with the CHC. We wish her well in her future endeavors. We do not comment on internal confidential personnel matters,” Barragán said in a statement. Usyk did not respond to a request for comment.

The firing comes amid concerns among many Hispanic Democratic members about Barragán’s leadership ability. The lack of staffing can severely hamper the CHC’s growing influence within the Democratic caucus, especially as more Hispanic Democrats have entered the ranks and previous leaders had worked to legitimize the group as a core decision-making bloc on Capitol Hill.

[bottomofthehill]

1. Disaster

She had had over 100 people on her staff in 6 years. The maximum you can have is 18 people on staff at any time so the turnover in her office is amazing. She must be hell to work for

[Celerity]

2. Plus, the pay can be very low.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/04/dear-white-staffers-congress/

A report from the group Issue One released last week found that 13 percent of D.C.-based congressional staff, or 1 in 8 congressional staffers, aren’t paid a living wage, with entry-level staff in particular earning 30 percent less than the national average salary in 2020. The report covers a time frame before the current surge in inflation, which has made it even more difficult to live in D.C. for people already living paycheck to paycheck.

https://issueone.org/articles/why-congress-needs-to-invest-in-junior-staff/

https://diversity.house.gov/compensation-benefits

The median pay for House staffers was $59,000 a year as of July 1, 2021, according to a House Office of Diversity and Inclusion report, with entry-level staffers making far less, often in the $30,000 range.

Beyond pay, aides said in interviews that burnout and an increasingly tense partisan environment are also big reasons many staffers view their job as a quick steppingstone to working as a lobbyist or moving into another industry where their D.C. experience is valued.

The cost of living in Washington, D.C., is so high that unpaid internships and low pay for entry-level jobs are enough to dissuade many minorities who cannot rely on their family’s income from applying for jobs, according to postings on “Dear White Staffers.” Those who do take the jobs often end up leaving them soon after being hired, postings say.