About 100 congressmen spend the night in their offices due to lack of money for rent

Some members of the lower house of Congress sleep in their offices on Capitol Hill because of low wages and the huge cost of living in Washington.

Photo: depositphotos

Some use clamshells or even manage to hide in the office of the bed, writes The New York Post.

Among them is a member of the House of Representatives Dan Donovan, who admitted that he could not afford housing in Washington, but to some extent considers this a manifestation of democracy.

“If we set a requirement that a candidate must rent or buy a home in the District of Columbia, then only millionaires will be members of Congress. I don’t think that was the goal of the Founding Fathers,” the politician noted.

But Some of his colleagues consider this practice “disgusting, unhygienic and unworthy” and want it to be banned.

Forbidding this bill will be submitted to the House of Representatives before the end of May, its authors argue that turning offices into bedrooms violates IRS rules and Congress ethics.

“This is not a healthy practice. It's disgusting. I wouldn't want to have meetings in someone's bedroom,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-N.C.).

He added that this is also against the law.

“You get free cable TV, electricity, toilets, free security. No rent. It's very profitable. This likely saves a person $25 to $000 a year that is not reported on their tax return,” the congressman said.

Those who have to sleep in their offices call money the only reason for this decision.

Many of them previously received additional compensation or daily allowances when they worked in the legislative bodies of their states. These compensations are intended to cover the living expenses of state legislators while they are in the capitals of their regions.

For example, New York state lawmakers in Albany receive 175 dollars for every day they spend in the city for work. In other major cities, such as Sacramento, California, daily compensation is 183 dollars, and in Austin, Texas - $190.

But members of the US House of Representatives receive no such compensation; they receive a salary of $174 a year - a figure that has not increased in almost 000 years. Their rank no longer provides for any compensation or benefits, despite the fact that renting the cheapest one-room apartment in the US capital costs from $10 a month. In addition, they have to continue paying for housing in their home state, which is unaffordable for many.

However, there have been no reports of Senate members sleeping in their offices. Perhaps the extra $20 in salary is saving them - they make $193 a year.

Despite the lack of official data, the number of members of the House of Representatives who sleep in the office space of the Congress is estimated at about 100 people, more than 20% of the members of this legislature.

They include both Republicans and Democrats, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Dan Donovan, Gregory Meeks, Lee Zeldin, John Katko and Brian Higgins.

According to military veteran Zeldin, who sleeps on the bed that he hides in the closet of his office, the ability to sleep in Congress makes him more efficient.

“Literally, from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed, I am constantly working, without any distractions,” he said.

Congressman Tim Walz said that earlier he rented an apartment in Washington with former member of the House of Representatives Patrick Murphy, each of them paid about 1800 dollars a month. That all changed when Murphy lost the election in 2016. Now Walz is sleeping in his office.

In the office of a member of the House of Representatives, there is usually a check-in desk, jobs for staff and a separate office for politicians with a seating area and a table. There is no kitchen or shower in the offices.

However, in the basement there is a gym for congressmen, access to which can be obtained for 300 dollars a year, there they have access to showers, laundry and lockers.

A typical morning routine for congressmen spending the night in the office is to tidy up their makeshift bed and head to the gym for a workout. They then shower and change into business attire before their employees report to work between 8 and 9 am.

Many congressmen rented apartments earlier, but then faced an increase in children's tuition bills or other expenses, which made rents in Washington too expensive.

But there are those who sleep in the office not because of savings. Republican Congressman Mark Sanford keeps the mattress behind his office sofa during the day, and spreads it out on the floor at night to sleep.

According to him, this is not comfortable, but he does not want to rent housing in the capital, so that it will not be dragged into the “swamp” of Washington, moreover, this mode of operation makes it more efficient.

"You can check my status in Google “I don't sleep in the office because the rent is high,” said Sanford, whose net worth is estimated at $2,6 million.

"I do it because it's practical and it helps me be more efficient," he explained.

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