Alexis Pelosi’s Government Salary Comes Under Scrutiny

The salary paid to Nancy Pelosi’s niece for her role within a federal government agency has come under scrutiny, including from one of the nominated heads of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk.
Alexis Pelosi joined the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in early 2022 and reportedly earned over $181,000 in 2024, according to a non-governmental database that used public records.
That revelation on Tuesday sparked criticism on social media, with some asking why a relative of the former House Speaker should be paid such an amount for her role as a Senior Advisor for Climate.
Musk, who is set to jointly head DOGE, said on his social media platform X: “But maybe her advice is amazing” alongside two laughing emojis.
Alexis Pelosi worked in housing and policy before working for HUD, which administers federal housing and urban development laws and assistance.
Pelosi’s role, which includes advising on how development can impact the climate, per posts on her LinkedIn, was granted to her because of her experience and not because of her better-known relative on the Hill, according to a statement from HUD given to Fox News in 2022.
According to data available from the Office of Personnel Management seen by Newsweek, Pelosi would fall within a salary banding of $143,546, rather than the higher $181,000 shared on the database.
“This is really ridiculous—made up positions for family members,” Kristen Netten, a Tesla advocate, wrote on X Tuesday, while Trump fan posted: “We the People are sick & tired of Congress (especially Pelosi) stealing & giving our money away… Our money is hard earned.”
Roles such as this could be seen as unnecessary by Musk’s new department, which he is set to head alongside former Republican Party presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
The pair have both spoken about their desire to cut spending and overreach by the federal government once President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
Newsweek has reached out to HUD and OPM for further comment via email Tuesday afternoon.
Alexis Pelosi is the wife of Laurence Pelosi, who is Nancy Pelosi’s nephew. He is the son of Paul Pelosi’s brother, Ron.
Alexis helped found Pelosi Ziblatt Law Group alongside her husband in California in 2011, before leaving the role in 2021 ahead of her appointment to the government role.
Before that, she had worked as an attorney, including for the City of Oakland.
Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi currently represents California’s 11th District and served as Speaker of the House from 2007 through 2011, as well as between 2019 and 2023.