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Jan 2024
22m 12s

How much do government employees get pai...

NHPR
About this episode

Government salaries vary an awful lot; from $100 a year to $11.5 million. So who makes what? 

Today we divide the issue of taxpayer-funded salaries in two. How much officials make, and then how much they really make. Why do so many politicians make money once they leave office? How much can you get from speaking at events? And how do lobbyists affect not only policy, but their career trajectory? 

Our guest is Anna Massoglia from Open Secrets, the "nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics."

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