Video: New congressman plans to spend all his time at the office — literally
posted at 1:00 pm on November 20, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Ostensibly it’s because he has three young kids and needs to save, but rent in D.C. can’t be that bad. Lots of good rhetoric here supporting what is, ultimately, a stunt. Or is it?
No one knows how many members have their offices do double duty as residences. Neither the Committee on House Administration nor the Office of the House Chief Administrative Officer keeps a list. Nor does the sergeant-at-arms’ office, which might be interested in knowing which offices contained sleeping members if there were an emergency on the Hill.
Outgoing Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) told the Gannett News Service in 2007 that, based on what he saw in the health club each morning, as many as 40 other congressmen sleep in their offices. Members and their office staffers aren’t so keen on giving out names, and no offices would confess to knowing who or how many are asleep near their desks.
Upwards of 10 percent of the House actually lives in the House? What on earth for? God help me for suggesting it, but … do we need to give Congress a cost-of-living raise? Build ‘em a dorm? Create a tent city on the Mall, replete with Nancy leading the troops in campfire songs? There has to be a better way.
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Maybe the other House folks need to share the wealth.
I’m sure they’ve made enough money to share with the less fortunate members.
Let it first begin with thee!
kybowexar on November 20, 2008 at 1:03 PM
Maybe it’s just a symbolic gesture, but it’s better than the big shinola sandwiches we’ve been getting fed from just about everyone else lately.
forest on November 20, 2008 at 1:04 PM
Maybe his wife is really, really, really mad at him for some reason. (Like, perhaps, spending all of his time at work?).
Or maybe he’s a cheapskate and will live in his office to avoid spending money on rent.
Weebork on November 20, 2008 at 1:04 PM
Would that they all were as careful with our money as they are with their own.
rbj on November 20, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Depends on the size of the office. Hell, I’d do it. Beats staying at some ratty apartment in a DC hood. Do they have to pay for their own airfair? If they do, I can see sleeping in an office.
It’s like camping out, but better!
robblefarian on November 20, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Allah, obviously you don’t know DC. I live in crappy “English Basement” and pay 1350 a month.
I don’t blame him for wanting to save money. I think around 40 congressman and about dozen senators already do the same thing as this guy.
Lance Murdock on November 20, 2008 at 1:06 PM
They’re really not in Washington as much as you might think, so for a freshman rep who’s living on his or her salary, and has a wife and kids back home, there no money for a DC studio apartment.
When I worked at the state capitol of a fine midwestern state, most assemblymen rented houses just to sleep in, and split the cost *10* ways. They lived far worse than students. I know in DC, several *senators* actually share a very basic rented house and split it 4 ways.
So it doesn’t surprise me that people think it’s a better idea to just sleep in the office. It’s probably nicer quarters.
alflauren on November 20, 2008 at 1:09 PM
Don’t they have pretty nice offices?
Compared to some of the apartments I’ve lived in, that might be a palace.
MadisonConservative on November 20, 2008 at 1:10 PM
He’s prepping for the Great Conservative Uprising of 2010 where we’ll lay seige to incumbents! Bwaaahaaahaahaa!
innominatus on November 20, 2008 at 1:10 PM
Soup line politicos. A sign of the times.
Cicero43 on November 20, 2008 at 1:11 PM
Suddenly, Obama’s draftees come in handy
Greenhelmet on November 20, 2008 at 1:11 PM
The ‘94 Republicans did the same thing. I’d rather they didn’t want to be in D.C. at all, but I’ll take what genuflections to frugality I can get.
spmat on November 20, 2008 at 1:12 PM
Has anyone checked to see if any of these offices have an address that is covered by a Fannie May sweetheart deal as a mortgage on a secondary domicile?
Yoop on November 20, 2008 at 1:12 PM
Yes, the DC area is that expensive!
BTW, does this guy look like Tony Blair or is it just me?
Karen_VA on November 20, 2008 at 1:12 PM
I like it. It shows he not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.
PappaMac on November 20, 2008 at 1:13 PM
Co-ed dorms, with Co-ed bathrooms…no discrimination.
Do the “interns” tuck them in at night?
If I was a wife of a senator, I would not be so keen on this idea…
“Sorry honey, can’t come home this weekend, I am working on big Bill, errrr, I mean working on a big bill.”
right2bright on November 20, 2008 at 1:13 PM
I live in the DC area and, yes, it is that expensive. You already have to maintain a home in your district and then to add on rent in DC – it’s outrageous. If you’re independantly wealthy it’s no big deal. But if you’re not, and you’ve got a mortgage and mouths to feed and college funds to fill, etc. you’re screwed if you have to try and rent in DC as well. To live in a small efficiancy apartment non in a bad part of town you’re easily looking at $1800+ per month. It’s probably better to just rent a room in someone’s house like Norm Coleman does. Even that is going to run you at least $600-$800 a month.
t.ferg on November 20, 2008 at 1:15 PM
It’s a good sign. Fiscal responsibility isn’t an ideology it is, literally, a way of life.
DFCtomm on November 20, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Hey, GM, this is the guy who watched you fly in on your private jet, and you are asking him for money…good luck.
right2bright on November 20, 2008 at 1:16 PM
…………….. Telecommute, that way the lobbyists won’t be able to corrupt him.
Seven Percent Solution on November 20, 2008 at 1:16 PM
I tend to doubt that Congressional office buildings are zoned for residential occupation.
mojo on November 20, 2008 at 1:17 PM
a poor politician isn’t a crooked one.
we have too many rich politicians.
lorien1973 on November 20, 2008 at 1:18 PM
I just emailed Ted Nugent and told him to kill an animal every day that Pelosi holds office.
marklmail on November 20, 2008 at 1:18 PM
I’m telling you what- this guys is a hero. Nice little frugal Republican from Utah. Love that. Probabaly another smart Morman.
anniekc on November 20, 2008 at 1:19 PM
Reuters is reporting that a bipartisan auto-aid agreement has been reached. prepare to get hosed, my fellow taxpayers
lodge on November 20, 2008 at 1:20 PM
What’s an “English basement”?
HawaiiLwyr on November 20, 2008 at 1:20 PM
It’s Bartleby the Congressman!
Amphipolis on November 20, 2008 at 1:21 PM
Good luck to this guy. I really liked his message.
Aggie85 on November 20, 2008 at 1:21 PM
robblefarian on November 20, 2008 at 1:06 PM
That would be airfare not affair. Funny which word combinations happen when talking about politicians.
Just A Grunt on November 20, 2008 at 1:23 PM
It’s an expensive basement.
DFCtomm on November 20, 2008 at 1:23 PM
I’m not naming any names (to protect the innocent) but someone I know just had an interview for a job in his office.
So, if you’re the praying type, send up a few.
It's Vintage, Duh on November 20, 2008 at 1:27 PM
He looks like a half-asian version of Tim Curry.
Andrew D on November 20, 2008 at 1:29 PM
I just applied for a job in his office this week.
t.ferg on November 20, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Awesome. A fresh new face for the GOP. If we actually hold to you know conservative principles the GOP has a shot at the future.
Theworldisnotenough on November 20, 2008 at 1:31 PM
It’s a basement that is separate from the house above. I have my own entrance any my landlords have theirs.
Lance Murdock on November 20, 2008 at 1:33 PM
He should get one of those super duper air mattresses, with an electric pump. Very comfy, inflate in seconds. He can roll it up and put it under his desk during the day.
ProfessorMiao on November 20, 2008 at 1:35 PM
Back in the day, a lot these basements used to be ’staff quarters’ too.
Lance Murdock on November 20, 2008 at 1:35 PM
This guy has a good head on his shoulders. I hope more of the newbies are just like him!
The cost of living in DC is outrageous unless you’ve been there awhile and got corrupted or come from money to begin with. Maybe we should let them live in their own states and do teleconferences. Less chance for corruption and live amoung the “people”.
Vince on November 20, 2008 at 1:35 PM
With Capital Hill apartment rentals going for +$2500 per month for a single bedroom…
My present Congressman lives in a one-bedroom in near-side Northern Virginia and maintains his permanent home, where his family lives, in this town, 600 miles away from work. If my congressman is frugal-minded enough to get a $1000 (+ or -) per month rental, instead of opting for a party-palace on Capital Hill or Dumbarton Oaks, why not encourage it? And if Walberg can do it for a lot less…I’m starting to like this guy.
When you look at Chevy Chase, Potomac, McLean and Great Falls, where a healthy majority of Congress resides…living in $2-$5 million homes, in neighborhoods where their house is one of the ones that is at the lower end of the neighborhood scale, makes you wonder what sort of grip on reality they really have. How can they “feel the pain” of the working stiff when their kitchen and family room have more square footage than an entire working class home in Ohio or Michigan? Besides, having to pay a mortgage and taxes and upkeep on that +$2million house makes one a bit more inclined to accept “gifts” from lobbyists and other “supporters.”
coldwarrior on November 20, 2008 at 1:43 PM
Our Congressman John Sullivan (OK) had a campaign ad where he videoed his cot in the office (actually getting into it.) I think it’s pretty effective for a congressman to come back home every weekend and sleep in the office during the week. The trips home may cost money but at least that gets him out of DC and back to the folks. (Obviously, staying within the beltway warps your brain, as one can see by the fact that it is the most liberal enclave in the nation — California included!) Sure sounds better than sleeping in a luxury suite hotel at taxpayer expense. More power to them. They are there to serve us, not spend our money on luxury!
Christian Conservative on November 20, 2008 at 1:47 PM
That’s my Congressman!!!
CABE on November 20, 2008 at 1:49 PM
Jack Kingston – GA rep lived in his office for years….how is this a new idea?
David in ATL on November 20, 2008 at 1:49 PM
Tim Walberg has been my Congresscritter, and I’ve followed his voting patterns for quite a while. He’s a true fiscal conservative, I believe, and had voted against the bailout, and many other spending initiatives. While I hadn’t heard that he used his office to sleep in, I am impressed that he’s truely lived out his committment to fiscal conservatism in so many ways.
Now, more than ever, I am sad to be loosing him as my Congressman. Thanks for your service, Tim.
karmatis on November 20, 2008 at 1:50 PM
I’ve read stories where a bunch of them share apartments or houses. I’d go a little nuts if I never got out of the office.
Hey, maybe Barney Frank has a spare room…
JammieWearingFool on November 20, 2008 at 1:52 PM
A lot of men sleeping together away from their families??
Hmmm, what could that be about?
Elizabetty on November 20, 2008 at 1:52 PM
I’m trying to give a darn…. nope. Not yet. Not happening.
Sorry, I just can’t get it up enough to care.
pabarge on November 20, 2008 at 1:54 PM
Time for another Congressional pay raise.
Tru dat. A couple years ago I went apartment hunting here…one place in the classifieds described a “Galley kitchen”. I had no idea what that was…found out it basically means “one person fits in it at a time”…
Rent in and around DC, in nice areas, is still far cheaper than anything in NYC.
JetBoy on November 20, 2008 at 1:55 PM
Oh! Hell! No! Being in Congress is supposed to be a temporary condition.
steveegg on November 20, 2008 at 1:57 PM
His office is probably a three-room affair with privat ebathroom, he has maid service, laundry service and a private gym in the building…24 hour access and security… cafeteria for three meals…
gimme a break…
max1 on November 20, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Cut out the bailouts and spring for a Congressional apartment building, or something.
Grafted on November 20, 2008 at 2:02 PM
Rent in DC really is that bad. To get something cheaper you’d have to go to Arlington or farther out, and then you can add up to 10-20 hours a week for your commute. Easily. DC traffic is the worst. ever. Worse then even Dallas.
scalleywag on November 20, 2008 at 2:14 PM
I hear scoffing in the background…is that the auto execs?
scalleywag on November 20, 2008 at 2:17 PM
A better way might be to have them telecommute. I can think of no reason for a member of congress to live in DC – they just succumb to the ‘government runs this country’ mindset. The more time they spend in their home district, the more likely they are to vote in the interests of their constituents. In Texas, we have a biennial congress, where they literally have to go home when the session is over.
Vashta.Nerada on November 20, 2008 at 2:50 PM
I read an op-ed a few years ago in the St. Louis paper. The writer proposed that Congress allow each Congressional District and State to raise private money to build a Congressional Residence in Washington. The residence would be used by the sitting Congressman or Senator while in office and could not be used for political purposes. The argument, with which I agree, is that the current system excludes the average person from seeking these offices because it is impossible to afford housing. If this was done with public money, I think it would be a great idea.
flyoverland on November 20, 2008 at 2:51 PM
I grew up in and around DC. I interned on Capitol Hill many years ago (probably before AP and MM were born). Senators and Representatives had a tax break all their own for maintaining a second home in metro DC. They probably still have it. No additional COLA is needed for them. If a congressman wants to sleep on a sofabed in his office, fine with me.
chsw
I’m a taxpayer. Where’s MY bailout?
chsw on November 20, 2008 at 2:53 PM
No kidding. I live in Maryland, and it’s horrible. To get the quiet neighborhood/reasonably safe environment I had living in NC for $800 will cost me upwards of $1500 in MD (and safety is a gamble).
I interned for Bob Erlich when he was in Congress, and those offices are very nice.
Dubn8tr on November 20, 2008 at 2:53 PM
A follow-up to “flyoverland” -
DC already has suitable locations for a Congressional dorm. One is an unused area of Lorton Reformatory. The other is an unused building at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital.
chsw
chsw on November 20, 2008 at 2:56 PM
Heh, he’s Mormon…that 15% tything cuts pretty deep into his apartment rent.
Wyznowski on November 20, 2008 at 3:02 PM
Maybe Charlie Rangel could chip in some money, buy a few houses near work for his colleagues.
njcommuter on November 20, 2008 at 3:08 PM
I’ve long been an advocate of government supplied and maintained housing for Congress. Build it at one of the military installations near DC, set up a regular shuttle bus run, and cut their salaries to pay for it. Oh, and pay them the same as the military for subsistence (food).
-Retired Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
Longhorn Six on November 20, 2008 at 3:11 PM
No raises, please! They knew what they were getting into and are hoping that it will be ultimately a win for them.
PattyJ on November 20, 2008 at 3:20 PM
Longhorn Six – There’s the Navy Yard as a site. And they can eat MRE’s. IIRC, Tip O’Neill refused to eat the first generation of freeze-dried MRE’s when Republicans tested them with Potomac River water and water purification tablets.
chsw
I’m a taxpayer. Where’s MY bailout!
chsw on November 20, 2008 at 3:27 PM
I think “Allahpundit” needs to expand his vocabulary. I’m looking at this site, and see not one, not two, but three instances of his favorite word, “Dude.”
At least there’s no present instance of his other favorite word, “Gulp.” Thank Heaven for small favors, I suppose.
Spurius Ligustinus on November 20, 2008 at 3:31 PM
Chaffetz is my congressman-elect and a known publicity hound. He’s a nephew or something of Michael Dukakis and used to be a Democrat. But he saw he could never get elected to national office in Utah that way so he switched parties. Expect more of this kind of camera seeking from him in the future.
WasatchMan on November 20, 2008 at 3:43 PM
This guy sounds like a winner to me. Why not live in his office during the week? It’s safe and warm/cool. He has access to a gym and shower. The cafeteria is right there and it is not safe to go anywhere in DC at night. The traffic is terrible and he would have to spend money on gas and transportation if he lived in an apartment anywhere around the DC. area. It is horribly expensive in DC even in the suburbs. It’s a lot easier to get work done without the phone ringing and people bothering you. Then he can go home on the weekends and relax because he got all of this work done. Nothing like getting your homework done before you go home!
BetseyRoss on November 20, 2008 at 3:46 PM
Is this what Obama means by “using a scalpel?”
Numenorean on November 20, 2008 at 4:01 PM
Living in DC *is* that expensive. You can do ok in N. Virginia if you have roommates.
But I’m thinking that a married man with kids doesn’t want roommates. And that if he had them all sorts of scandalous things would be said.
I mean it’s not like it’s the 40’s and there’s boarding houses and stuff.
nlj on November 20, 2008 at 5:46 PM
Rep. Dick Armey ( R-Texas ) who became powerful in the House after 1994, was first elected in the early 80s and publicly stated that he lived in his office while he was in D.C.
This isn’t new…………..
Janos Hunyadi on November 20, 2008 at 5:55 PM
He’s my rep. Hoping that he lives up to his promise.
melda on November 20, 2008 at 6:11 PM
I love it. Wish we had more like him in DC… Maybe 2010 if this catches on…
DL13 on November 20, 2008 at 7:19 PM
It’s not a stunt AP (and comments). Jason is THE REAL DEAL.
I too was a little skeptical when I moved here, but I got to know the guy during the course of the general. He ran his campaign (primary against Rep Chris “RINO” Cannon and general) this way. No paid staff, no paid pollsters, no loaning money to the campaign…none of that. No debt at all on the campaign.
Again – he’s the real thing! Look out DC…..
LL
Lady Logician on November 20, 2008 at 8:09 PM
BTW, tithing is only 10%.
aggie13 on November 20, 2008 at 10:33 PM
He’s not only good on cutting spending but his claim to fame is knocking out Chris Cannon in the primaries over immigration.
Bald Igle on November 20, 2008 at 11:36 PM
If this is what it takes for the common man to serve in public office, so be it.
unclesmrgol on November 21, 2008 at 2:54 AM
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