He's not alone: AOC and others have argued lawmakers should be paid more in order to protect against corruption and make the job more accessible.

He’s not alone: AOC and others have argued lawmakers should be paid more in order to protect against corruption and make the job more accessible.

  • merc@sh.itjust.works
    3·
    11 个月前

    They are not required to have a residence in DC, many members of Congress sleep in their offices to save money

    They’re not allowed to do that though. Most of them get away with it, but it’s against the rules.

    There’s nothing saying they couldn’t commute to work.

    From California?

    • Knightfox@lemmy.oneEnglish
      1·
      11 个月前

      They’re not allowed to do that though. Most of them get away with it, but it’s against the rules.

      Do you have a source on that, because when I googled it the only thing to come up was Jackie Speier recommending banning it in 2020. There is even a recent Business Insider which talks about Mike Johnson doing it and makes no reference to it being against any rules.

      https://www.businessinsider.com/speaker-mike-johnson-sleep-in-his-capitol-hill-office-2023-11

      Here is a 2015 NPR article that says there are no rules against it https://www.npr.org/2015/12/26/458207661/meet-the-lawmakers-who-sleep-shower-work-all-on-capitol-hill

      From California?

      How about Arlington or Alexandria?

      • merc@sh.itjust.works
        2·
        11 个月前

        The building isn’t rated as a residence, so it’s most likely a fire code violation to use it as a residence. Aside from that:

        squatters benefit from free utilities, cable TV and internet access, and cleaning services. This may violate congressional ethics rules, which prohibit members from using official resources for anything other than incidental personal needs. At the least, lodging on government premises should be treated as a taxable fringe benefit – in the same way that congressional parking spaces are.

        https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-04-06/u-s-lawmakers-shouldn-t-be-sleeping-in-their-offices

        So, while there isn’t a rule that says specifically “congresspeople may not sleep in their offices”, there are all kinds of rules about what constitutes housing in DC that are not met by congressional offices:

        https://dob.dc.gov/service/dc-housing-code-standards

        https://realestateinthedistrict.com/is-your-dc-bedroom-legal/

        How about Arlington or Alexandria?

        That’s still going to be a second residence, it may not be a $2500/month residence, but it’s not going to be free.

        • Knightfox@lemmy.oneEnglish
          1·
          11 个月前

          That’s still going to be a second residence, it may not be a $2500/month residence, but it’s not going to be free.

          I think you’re confused by my original reply, I wasn’t saying it should be free or that they could just drive from their primary residence. I was saying that using the cost of DC housing as a reason for higher pay doesn’t make sense when they don’t have to live in DC itself. It’s perfectly reasonable that they may have to have a place outside of DC and commute in.

          So, while there isn’t a rule that says specifically “congresspeople may not sleep in their offices”, there are all kinds of rules about what constitutes housing in DC that are not met by congressional offices:

          Part of the issue is that you’re applying normal rules to an abnormal group. Traditionally I would agree with you that people shouldn’t sleep in their work offices, but this is hardly the weirdest thing that is normal in Congress. Also it doesn’t really matter if it meets the fire code or DCs building standards, Federal law has priority over local law. Even the DC Fire Code specifically says that it does not apply to any building or premises owned by the US Government.

          Heck, there are a ton of special laws which Congress has passed which only apply to Congress, including prohibiting DC local government from charging property tax or income tax on Congressmen. There are even laws regarding allowances that Congressmen get which essentially says that there are quantifiable benefits of the job which cannot be counted as income for taxes.

          The only rule that matters is whether Congress has specifically blocked it.

          EDIT: I just double checked and the DOB link you sent says at the very top

          “The Department of Buildings (DOB) is mandated to ensure public health, safety, and welfare by enforcing property maintenance codes on all residential and non-residential structures in the District of Columbia, excluding federal government buildings.”