It’s not enough that members of Congress are paid $174,000 annually, now they get a food and housing allowance to actually show up for work in Washington, D.C.
The extra cost-of-living money was a parting gift from when Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats controlled the U.S. House and comes out of the members official account that also pays their employees.
Colorado Public Radio reports on this new expenditure, including how much the state’s delegation claimed for themselves in food and lodging for 2023.
On the Democrat side of the aisle:
- $20,820 Jason Crow
- $18,666 Brittany Pettersen
- $15,969 Diana DeGette
- $15,042 Yadira Caraveo
- $4,541 Joe Neguse
Interestingly, Pettersen spent more on lodging than her fellow Colorado Democrat members. She would have come in first, but Crow outspent her on food.
It’s unclear from the report whether a long-term member like DeGette owns her D.C. home or still rents after 27 years in office.
It should be noted whether the politicians are using our money for hotels, apartment rentals, or using it to invest in their own property.
On the other side of the aisle are both the biggest and lowest spenders of taxpayer dollars for claiming D.C. living expenses.
Former U.S. Rep. Ken Buck didn’t take a dime. He told the New York Times (of course it was the New York Times):
“If I go back to my district, where the average salary in some places is $32,000 and say ‘I don’t make enough,’ when I make $174,000, they would go ballistic,” Buck said. “Yet, trying to maintain two places to live, and have clothes in two places and have a car in two places, it’s very difficult.”
He’s right about that.
U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn refunded himself the most among Colorado’s delegation in claiming a total of $21,543 for food and lodging.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert spent less than every Democrat except Neguse with a total of $14,408.