House members will soon be eligible for a workplace benefit that’s common in corporate life — reimbursement for expenses they rack up.
Former Rep. Dan Donovan sits on the bed in his “bedroom” within his Capitol Hill office in 2018. Dozens of mostly GOP lawmakers have lived in their own offices, sleeping and showering in House office buildings. | Ron Sachs/CNPHouse members will soon be eligible for a workplace benefit that’s common in corporate life — reimbursement for expenses they rack up — according to new rules obtained by POLITICO.
All expense payments will be made public each quarter, an attempt to soften lawmakers’ long-running concerns about the perception that they can line their own pockets with taxpayer money. The new reimbursement rules would create a so-called “dual duty station” system that recognizes lawmakers conduct their official business in two locations: the capital and their districts. Costs incurred since the start of the current Congress would be eligible, with reimbursement predicated on caps already set by the General Services Administration for other federal workers.
For that reason, one of the last and thorniest issues that lawmakers had to iron out before releasing the new reimbursement rules was how to address lodging in Washington, from members who rent small apartments to those who own pricey houses steps from the Capitol. Harper testified last year that he couldn’t afford high rents in the capital while also paying for care for a child with disabilities, prompting his move to the private sector.
Rep. Maxwell Frost went public about poor credit that he said hurt his ability to rent an apartment in Washington, even with the promise of a high congressional salary. | Jemal Countess/Getty Images
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