{"id":2512853,"date":"2025-11-20T14:10:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T19:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/decamillionaires-in-congress-make-taxpayers-pay-for-their-lunch-and-lodging\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T14:14:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T19:14:43","slug":"decamillionaires-in-congress-make-taxpayers-pay-for-their-lunch-and-lodging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/decamillionaires-in-congress-make-taxpayers-pay-for-their-lunch-and-lodging\/","title":{"rendered":"Decamillionaires in Congress make taxpayers pay for their lunch and lodging"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdecamillionaires-in-congress-make-taxpayers-pay-for-their-lunch-and-lodging%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2512853&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent review by the Washington Examiner revealed that dozens of members of Congress with net worths exceeding $10 million have been reimbursed by taxpayers for significant lodging and meal expenses in Washington, D.C. This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/with-russia-hoaxer-jim-baker-on-the-inside-the-fbi-primed-twitter-to-kill-hunter-biden-story-long-before-it-broke\/\" title=\"With Russia Hoaxer Jim Baker On The Inside, The FBI Primed Twitter To Kill Hunter Biden Story Long Before It Broke\">reimbursement program<\/a>, originally designed to assist less wealthy lawmakers in managing the high costs of maintaining a second residence in the capital, has been used by many affluent representatives.In 2023, house Democrats quietly updated rules allowing members to claim tens of thousands of dollars annually for food and housing costs. Critics argue the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/policing-for-profit-fbi-sued-for-seizing-86-million-from-individuals-never-charged-with-a-crime\/\" title=\"FBI sued for seizing M from innocent individuals\">system lacks transparency<\/a> and is vulnerable to abuse, as receipts are not required and details about expenditures are limited. Despite congressional salaries of $174,000, lawmakers must maintain dual residences, which can create financial pressure.However, wealthier members, including some worth over $100 million, have capitalized on the program, raising concerns about fairness and appropriate use of taxpayer funds. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >article highlights ongoing debates<\/a> about congressional compensation, transparency, and the balance between supporting public servants and prudent spending.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Decamillionaires in Congress make taxpayers pay for their lodging and lunches<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2388901\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>This year, dozens of lawmakers worth over $10 million took advantage of an optional program intended to help less well-off members of Congress afford the high cost of maintaining a second residence in D.C., a <em>Washington Examiner <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1ShJcBu5C4L1HYgnAtwj9-hHylBNyVcOnvRwbyizedok\/edit?usp=sharing\">review <\/a>of public records has found.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, House Democrats quietly tweaked congressional rules by enabling representatives to submit reimbursement requests for tens of thousands of dollars per year in food and housing expenses. The rule change was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/01\/12\/us\/politics\/congress-pay-raise.html\">reportedly spurred<\/a> by concern among lawmakers after former Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS) was forced to retire out of financial necessity due to his inability to afford care for his disabled child on top of rent in the nation&rsquo;s capital.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3889662\/soros-paid-aoc-learn-from-communists-staying-luxury-hotels\/\">Soros paid for AOC to learn from actual communists while staying in luxury hotels<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3889926\/foreign-funded-socialist-group-behind-anti-ice-uprising-charlotte\/\">Foreign-funded socialist group behind anti-ICE uprising in Charlotte<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3886379\/wikipedia-donations-go-toward-paying-liberal-activists-to-rewrite-articles\/\">Wikipedia donations go toward paying liberal activists to rewrite articles<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;My view has always been that you shouldn&rsquo;t have to be independently wealthy to serve in the United States House of Representatives,&rdquo; Harper <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2023\/04\/07\/house-finalizes-expenses-plan-00090806\">said <\/a>after announcing his retirement.<\/p>\n<p>The fix intended for people like Harper, however, is also being used by members of Congress who are, by any reasonable definition, independently wealthy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Using <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.house.gov\/the-house-explained\/open-government\/statement-of-disbursements\">House disbursement records<\/a> as well as Quiver Quantitative&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quiverquant.com\/congress-live-net-worth\/\">analysis <\/a>of congressional financial disclosures, the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>identified 45 members of Congress with an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cardi-b-mariah-carey-complain-of-racial-discrimination-pay-disparity\/\" title=\"Cardi B, Mariah Carey Complain Of Racial Discrimination, Pay Disparity\">estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">net worth<\/a><\/a> in excess of $10 million who received reimbursements for their lodging or dining expenses during the first half of 2025. These lawmakers collectively billed taxpayers over half a million dollars between January and June to cover their food and housing.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty-eight Republican decamillionaires took advantage of lodging and dining reimbursements, compared to 17 Democrats. Notable figures on both sides of the aisle, such as Reps. Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Mike Collins (R-GA), and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), were among the uber-wealthy taking advantage of the taxpayer-funded reimbursements.<\/p>\n<p>Quiver Quantitative also estimated Rep. Ilhan Omar&rsquo;s (D-MN) net worth to be over $10 million. However, a spokeswoman for the congresswoman claimed that the figure is inaccurate.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Since the Congresswoman was elected, there has been a coordinated right-wing disinformation campaign claiming all sorts of wild things, including the categorically false assertion that her net worth exceeds millions of dollars,&rdquo; a spokeswoman for Omar told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;She is a working mom with student loan debt. Unlike some of her colleagues &mdash; and similar to most Americans &mdash; she is not a multimillionaire. She&rsquo;s raising a family while maintaining residences in both Minneapolis and D.C., which are among the most expensive housing markets in the country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., speaks at a news conference on the 8th day of a government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/John McDonnell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The wealthiest members of Congress to receive reimbursements for their D.C. living expenses &mdash; roughly $20,000 each &mdash; were Reps. Kevin Hern (R-OK) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA), who are worth an estimated $107.8 million and $97.8 million, respectively. Other members of Congress with an estimated net worth of $50 million or more who have individually racked up thousands of dollars in housing and lodging reimbursements include Reps. Dan Meuser (R-PA), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Roger Williams (R-TX), Marlin Stutzman (R-IN), and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX).<\/p>\n<p>Transparency experts have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/06\/04\/house-representatives-expenses-receipts-lodging\/\">criticized <\/a>the reimbursement program as being vulnerable to abuse.<\/p>\n<p>Representatives, for instance, are not required to submit receipts to receive their money, nor are they required to disclose where they&rsquo;re purchasing their meals or lodging from. A $300 meal reimbursement submitted by a member of Congress could, for instance, represent them splurging at Nobu or buying bulk groceries from Costco &mdash; current disclosure requirements make it impossible to tell one from the other.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While members of Congress are paid a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/80192\/steve-scalise-possibility-of-house-lawmaker-pay-raise-ought-to-be-looked-at\/\">salary <\/a>of $174,000 &mdash; well above both the national and in D.C. average &mdash; lawmakers need to maintain residences in both their home districts and the capital, which can stretch even an otherwise comfortable salary thin. Members cannot use the reimbursement program to pay their mortgages, only for rentals or hotel stays.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3869489\/exorbitant-amount-gop-senate-aide-charged-taxpayers-commute\/\"><strong>&lsquo;AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT&rsquo;: TOP GOP SENATE AIDE CHARGED TAXPAYERS $44,000 FOR HIS COMMUTE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The additional resources provided by the reimbursement program, the value of which is determined on a rolling basis by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.federalpay.org\/perdiem\/2023\/districtofcolumbia\/district-of-columbia\">Government Services Administration<\/a>, can go a long way to helping less well-off people serve in Congress.&nbsp;Critics at the time saw the rule change as a way for members of Congress to give themselves an effective raise without actually changing their salaries, which is generally controversial.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Some have argued that increasing the pay for members of Congress would decrease the ability of moneyed interests to influence policy, reduce corruption, and attract highly talented individuals to office who may otherwise stay in the private sector. Others claim that members of Congress should sleep in their offices and be as frugal as possible with taxpayer funds.<\/p>\n<p>In total, members of Congress were reimbursed $790,646 by taxpayers for their meals and $3.2 million for their lodging between January and June, records show. The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> used <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/06\/13\/house-expenses-receipts-database-list\/\">budget object codes<\/a> accompanying individual reimbursement transactions to determine which payments were covering food or housing for lawmakers.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>reached the offices of every congressional decamillionaire who used taxpayer funds to cover their dining or lodging expenses for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Decamillionaire lawmakers use taxpayer funds for lodging, meals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2512854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24143644920348-scaled.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4402,67431,8956],"class_list":["post-2512853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-congress","tag-decamillionaires","tag-taxpayers"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24143644920348-scaled.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2512853"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2512857,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512853\/revisions\/2512857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2512854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2512853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2512853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2512853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}