Guest Columns
Waste of the Day: Congressional Expenses Are on the Honor System
Topline: Under new rules passed with bipartisan support last July, federal lawmakers can charge their food and housing to taxpayers based on self-reported numbers. What could go wrong?
The Honor System? Seriously?
House members reimbursed themselves $5.2 million last year under the rules that critics say rely on the “honor system” instead of receipts, according to a new report from The Washington Post.
Key facts: Federal politicians are now “strongly encouraged,” but not required, to keep receipts of their reimbursable expenses. This helps to “reduce burdens” on the lawmakers, according to draft legislation from the House chief administrative officer.
Lawmakers do not have to publicly disclose what they’re being reimbursed for.
The system is supposed to help legislators afford housing in Washington D.C. and in their home state. Politicians can’t be reimbursed for their mortgages, but they can bill taxpayers for insurance, utilities, maintenance and more. They can also spend $79 on food each day they’re on the Hill and less while traveling, per Politico.
The program dispersed cash to 319 of the 435 House members last year, split almost evenly among party lines according to the Post.
Reps. Jack Bergman (R-MI) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) were the top two spenders, each collecting over $40,000 for food and housing.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) billed taxpayers as much as $3,000 per month to cover expenses at her $1.6 million private residence. An anonymous source showed the Post a document listing Mace’s expenses at $1,726 per month and claimed that Mace’s staff was told to collect the maximum possible reimbursement. Mace denied the allegations.
Charging after the fact
Kedric Payne, former counselor at the Office of Congressional Ethics, told the Post that anyone who misuses the program could face corruption charges.
The program was created partially to avoid raising lawmakers’ salaries, which Congress members fear could create public backlash. House and Senate members make $174,000 and haven’t raised their pay since 2009.
Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com.
Summary: Federal spending should be subject to strict limits and rigorous oversight, not a Congressman’s pinky promise.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.
This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.
Adam Andrzejewski (say: Angie-eff-ski) is the CEO/founder of OpenTheBooks.com. Before dedicating his life to public service, Adam co-founded HomePages Directories, a $20 million publishing company (1997-2007). His works have been featured on the BBC, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, C-SPAN, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, FOX News, CNN, National Public Radio (NPR), Forbes, Newsweek, and many other national media.
Today, OpenTheBooks.com is the largest private repository of U.S. public-sector spending. Mission: post "every dime, online, in real time." In 2022, OpenTheBooks.com captured nearly all public expenditures in the country, including nearly all disclosed federal government spending; 50 of 50 state checkbooks; and 25 million public employee salary and pension records from 50,000 public bodies across America.
The group's aggressive transparency and forensic auditing of government spending has led to the assembly of grand juries, indictments, and successful prosecutions; congressional briefings, hearings, and subpoenas; Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits; Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports; federal legislation; and much more.
Our Honorary Chairman - In Memoriam is U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, MD.
Andrzejewski's federal oversight work was included in the President's Budget To Congress FY2021. The budget cited his organization by name, bullet-pointed their findings, and footnoted/hyperlinked to their report.
Posted on YouTube, Andrzejewski's presentation, The Depth of the Swamp, at the Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar 2020 in Naples, Florida received 3.8 million views.
Andrzejewski has spoken at the Columbia School of Journalism, Harvard Law School and the law schools at Georgetown and George Washington regarding big data journalism. As a senior policy contributor at Forbes, Adam had nearly 20 million pageviews on 206 published investigations. In 2022, investigative fact-finding on Dr. Fauci's finances led to his cancellation at Forbes.
In 2022, Andrzejewski did 473 live television and radio interviews across broadcast, major cable platforms, and radio shows. Andrzejewski is the author of The Waste of the Day column at Real Clear Policy. The column is syndicated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, owners of nearly 200 ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliates across USA.
Andrzejewski lives in Hinsdale, Illinois with his wife Kerry and three daughters. He is a lector at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church and has finished the Chicago Marathon eight times (PR 3:58.49 in 2022).
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