Meet Nancy Pelosi’s niece Alexis, the HUD climate adviser with an eyebrow-raising salary: Oakland’s former deputy city attorney is also a philanthropist – but what did Elon Musk say about her pay?
Meet Nancy Pelosi’s niece Alexis, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development climate adviser whose salary drew the attention of Elon Musk. Photos: Alexis Pelosi/LinkedIn; AP
After Alexis Pelosi’s salary with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development was revealed, some on X questioned whether she would be making as much were Nancy not her aunt
Former house speaker and Democratic matriarch Nancy Pelosi is used to making headlines, but she is not the only Pelosi who’s grown accustomed to the spotlight. Alexis Pelosi, who is married to Nancy’s nephew, came under fire last November for her allegedly inflated salary as a climate adviser in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Questions over her salary even caught the attention of the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, who has been appointed head of US President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Here’s everything you need to know about Alexis Pelosi and the salary outrage.
What does she do?
Questions have been asked around whether Alexis Pelosi’s salary at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development is higher than it ought to be. Photo: Alexis Pelosi/LinkedIn
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Pelosi is a lawyer, having graduated from law school in 2000. Politico Pro reported that she became senior climate adviser to HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge in January 2023. Pelosi said her role under the Biden administration was to ensure the department became “part of the solution”, adding, “I am honoured to be in a position to advance this important work.”
Per Fox news, Pelosi had joined HUD the previous year in the office of community planning and development, a unit focused on ensuring service in government-assisted areas.
Why did she make headlines?
According to Newsweek, Pelosi’s salary came under scrutiny on X (formerly Twitter) following her appointment, with Musk, Trump’s nominated head of DOGE, weighing in.
Last November, Pelosi was reported to have an annual salary of US$181,648. On X, some questioned whether her salary would be so high were she not related to former house speaker Nancy Pelosi. Musk got involved in the debate, reposting the alleged salary data alongside the comment, “But maybe her advice is amazing,” followed by rolling-on-the-floor-laughing emojis.
According to Newsweek, data released by the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government’s chief human resources agency, showed Pelosi should have been earning US$143,546.
