Top Republican Caught Spending The Most Taxpayer Money

Photo by Chris Grafton on Unsplash

(PartiallyPolitics.com) – Last year, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) was one of the top spenders of the House’s new reimbursement program according to a report by The Washington Post. 

A House panel passed the program last year and allowed House members to receive reimbursement for expenses that they incurred because they had to live both in Washington and their home districts. According to the analysis by the post over 300 members had been reimbursed at least $5.2 million in 2023 because of this. 

The taxpayer-funded program reimburses lawmakers for lodging and food costs that they incur while they conduct official business in Washington, D.C. However, many have criticized the program arguing that there are very few formal rules surrounding it and that no proper record-keeping was required. As such they pointed out that there was room for funding to be abused. 

The post reported that during the first 11 months of the program, 166 Republicans and 153 Democrats had received reimbursements for their expenses. The top spender in the program was Gaetz, who has received close to $30,000 in reimbursements, with over $10,000 of that money being spent on food. 

Over the course of the 11 months, Gaetz billed twice over $4,000 for lodging and over $3,000 for five separate months. 

A spokesperson for the representative argued that he had been reimbursed for lodging expenses on days that he had remained in Washington for work despite the House not being in session. They argued that Gaetz has followed all the rules relating to congressional reimbursements.

Copyright 2024, PartiallyPolitics.com