Mike Rogers Criticized for Pension Collection Amid $14.6M Net Worth

Mike Rogers’ Pension Collection Amid Substantial Wealth

Despite possessing a net worth of $14.6 million, Republican Mike Rogers has been receiving income from a government pension. Rogers, who has an extensive history in public service, initially served as a Michigan state legislator and later as a member of Congress. Since retiring to Florida in 2015, he also joined several corporate boards. After an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate in Michigan in 2024, he is campaigning again this year.

Financial disclosures indicate that between 2022 and 2025, Rogers earned $125,600 from a Michigan Legislature pension. If he has been collecting since 2018, his total pension earnings could amount to $275,000.

A report by the Detroit News last month revealed that the Michigan Legislature pension fund is depleting, potentially requiring taxpayer contributions to maintain its sustainability. This pension system has been closed to new entrants since 1997.

Upon exiting the Michigan Legislature, Rogers initially planned to retire on January 3, 2001, to benefit from an enhanced pension payout effective that year. However, he adjusted his retirement date to December 31, 2000, following accusations of impropriety.

In 2025, Rogers qualified to withdraw from the U.S. Congress pension. However, Senate candidates are not obligated to disclose federal retirement income, leaving it unclear whether he benefits from this fund.

While the practice of collecting multiple pensions and a paycheck, known as “double dipping,” is legal, it has been criticized as ethically questionable. Indiana Sen. Mike Braun, who served alongside Rogers, remarked in 2020, “It’s time we make Washington more like the private sector and the best place to start is to end taxpayer-funded pensions.”

During his tenure in Congress, Rogers consistently voted to safeguard lawmakers’ pension benefits while endorsing reductions in military pensions. In 2012, he opposed a proposal to cease pension payments for lawmakers who become lobbyists earning over $1 million annually, a measure that ultimately failed.

In 2013, Rogers supported a budget plan to reduce cost-of-living adjustments for military pension recipients, including disabled veterans. He endorsed a similar initiative in 2014 that decreased pension payouts for most veterans, although it exempted disabled veterans.

Currently, Rogers stands as the sole Republican contender for the U.S. Senate nomination in Michigan, with his Democratic opponent to be determined in the August 4 primary.

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