Everybody has fun
It’s a company town and everybody is on the payroll. The Hill:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has spent $16,000 on flowers since taking office, one reason why she spent 63 percent more in her high-profile inaugural year than her low-key predecessor did last year…Pelosi also has use of a “legislative floor activity” account, while Boehner controls extra money for “minority employees,” which include his employees and those of other Republican leaders. If those accounts are factored in, Pelosi’s spending increased 52 percent, and Boehner’s spending increased 12 percent.
The spending information is contained in thick books issued quarterly called the Statement of Disbursements of the House. Some call them “brown books” for their beige covers (Senate books are green). Others call them “bitch books,” because congressional staffers look up their counterparts’ salaries, then complain to their bosses if they’re paid less.
The books are often used to check spending of members’ representational allowance, which in 2007 ranged from $1,262,065 to $1,600,539. Each member of leadership has an MRA account for his or her district office, and a separate account to cover the leadership office. Under a continuing resolution passed in February, House members got $555 million for their MRAs, and leaders were allocated $24 million. Other expenses in Pelosi’s office include:
• A $10,000 contract to former Clinton White House speechwriter Heather Hurlburt to write the speech Pelosi delivered to the Israeli Knesset.• Nearly $20,000 to Washington attorney Richard Meltzer to help with Pelosi’s transition. “Just like a presidential transition, Richard Meltzer was hired to oversee the historic changeover of Congress,” Elshami said.
• More than $2,400 to hire a makeup artist for the week of her swearing in. Pelosi later reimbursed the entire cost from her personal funds.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) has spent 1 percent more than Boehner spent when he was majority leader. Boehner was elected majority leader in early February 2006. The office is shrinking from the days of DeLay, who had 29 staffers in 2004. Hoyer had 23 employees in September. As minority leader, Boehner has carried $127,000 to cover the costs of transitioning from Hastert’s tenure and archiving Hastert’s materials. Beyond that, he has spent more from his minority leader accounts than Pelosi did on services and some salaries.
No wonder they put up with the low salaries. Everyone gets his own Duchy. And of course the entire family is on the payroll, one way or the other.