by Pr Rock
Citizen Journalist
My congressman, Jason Smith, a Republican representing Missouri's large and very rural 8th district, is celebrating his 43rd birthday today. Smith, who was born in St. Louis and is a resident of the Missouri community of Salem, has represented the Missouri's 8th congressional district since winning a special election to replace Jo Ann Emerson a decade ago.
Smith, a bachelor who is a lawyer and the son of a Missouri dog breeder, was selected this year as the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, a fact that he generally repeats ad nauseam in his weekly email newsletter to some of his constituents. Although he appears to be very comfortable in his legislative role now, Smith once said that he sleeps in his office in Washington, DC, in order not to get too comfortable in Congress. (Unsaid was the fact that rents are very high in Washington, DC, and a congressman sleeping in his office - and there are many - is receiving a very nice salary perk which is apparently not taxed.)
Happy birthday, congressman.
Party hearty.
1 comment:
This, Members of Congress using their Capitol Hill office as a residence, is one of those things that give me pause. Sure, there is not rule or law explicitly prohibiting this no rent embarrassment. But the offices are paid out of the MRA, Members Representational Account.
The House Committee on Ethics has tiptoed close to this topic. Here is what they whispered. "Goods and Services Paid for With the Members’ Representational Allowance or House Committee Funds. All expenditures by a Member from his or her Members’ Representational Allowance (“MRA”) – including expenditures for staff, travel, and communications – must comply with regulations issued by the Committee on House Administration. Those regulations are set forth in the Members’ Handbook issued by that Committee. The Handbook provides that “[o]nly expenses the primary purpose of which [is] official and representational” are reimbursable from the MRA, and that the MRA may not pay for campaign expenses or political expenses (or any personal expenses)." https://ethics.house.gov/campaign/general-prohibition-against-using-official-resources-campaign-or-political-purposes
Let's review. "ONLY EXPENSES THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF WHICH IS OFFICIAL AND REPRESENTATIONAL ARE REIMBURSABLE FROM THE MRA, AND THAT THE MRA MAY NOT PAY FOR CAMPAIGN EXPENSES OR POLITICAL EXPENSE3 (OR ANY PERSONAL EXPENSES)
True, I did not whisper. However, housing is a personal expense. Janitorial services for the Capitol Hill office, qua residence, must be more expensive than just the cleaning fees for the office alone. And does Smith, and other similarly situated Representatives, not go out to dinner, to parties, and engage in the thrust and parry of hobnobbery with lobbyists and indiscrete campaign contributors? Then don't they return to Capitol Hill late at night with their bellies full and their pockets stuffed with loot? And doesn't that mean that the US Capitol Police have to provide extra duty allowing these no rent Members back into the Capitol? Don't get me started on the returning Member's level of sobriety.
Rent needs to be paid. Offices are not apartments. Most constituents can pay for their home and manage D.C. rent on a salary of $174,000 a year. A quick search on Zillow today indicates 19 pages of apartments for rent in the District of Columbia (sorted low to high) before reaching the $2,000 a month range. There are plenty of affordable apartments in the nation's capital for a person earning $174,000 a year!
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