And it won't be the last pay raise they give themselves either.  It's certainly not the first.  They do it all the time, we just don't hear about it.  It takes people like Trump to bring stuff like this to the forefront.

https://www.westernjournal.com/state-lawmakers-set-93-pay-raise-nobody-voted/

Can you think of a better reason to be a politician??  I wouldn't be one for all the tea in Taiwan.  But some people LOVE money.