Bergman, not Gaetz, is top spender under House reimbursement program: Analysis

CORRECTION: A Washington Post analysis found that Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) was the top spender under a new House reimbursement program. An earlier version of this story included incorrect information.

An analysis by The Washington Post has found that Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) was the top spender last year under the House’s new reimbursement program.

The reimbursement program, passed last year by a House panel, allows members to be reimbursed for expenses from living both in their home districts and in Washington. More than 300 members were reimbursed at least $5.2 million in 2023, the Post analysis found.

The taxpayer-funded program gives back money to lawmakers for food and lodging while they’re on official business in D.C., but critics of the program say it has very few formal rules and does not require record-keeping, and that as a result there is room for abuse.

In the first 11 months of the program, the Post reported that 153 Democrats and 166 Republicans received reimbursements.

The Post initially identified Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as the top spender in 2023, but later updated its analysis after reviewing new data. This new data made Bergman the top spender. The Hill has updated its story based on the Post’s own update.

Bergman was reimbursed for more than $32,000 in lodging and nearly $12,000 for meals in 2023, according to data released by the House Tuesday and the Post’s updated analysis.

This compared to Gaetz being reimbursed for nearly $30,000 in lodging expenses and more than $10,000 in food over an 11-month period.

The Hill has reached out to Bergman’s office for comment.

The original analysis found Gaetz billed more than $4,000 for lodging and more than $3,000 for five different months in the 11-month period.

A Gaetz spokesperson told the Post that he was reimbursed for lodging expenses on days when the House was not in session, but he remained in D.C. to work.

“Rep. Gaetz has always complied with House rules regarding congressional reimbursements,” a spokesperson for Gaetz said in a statement to the Post. “In 2023, Rep. Gaetz dedicated significant time to his work on the Weaponization Subcommittee, requiring his presence to be in Washington, D.C., on days often when there were no votes, which incurred additional reimbursement expenses to conduct depositions.”

The Post noted that other members of the same subcommittee recorded “significantly less” in expenditures than the Florida lawmaker.

Gaetz’s office told The Hill that he joined House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for 12 depositions, more than “any other member of the Weaponization Subcommittee,” which required he be in Washington on no-vote days. 

“It’s interesting to see the congressman who have million-dollar houses in Washington, DC,” the spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. “Let’s ban congressional stock trading and then see who starts applying for reimbursements.”

Under the reimbursement program, lawmakers can’t be repaid for principal or interest on their mortgages. They can only expense taxes, insurance, maintenance, utilities and other ancillary costs, the outlet reported.

Of the members who own D.C. homes and participated in the program, Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) requested “significantly higher reimbursements” than others, the Post reported.

Mace, who owns a $1.6 million Capitol Hill home, expensed more than $19,000 during a nine-month period ending on Sept. 20, 2023, an average of more than $2,000 per month, the analysis found.

When reached for comment, Mace’s office directed The Hill to their comments in the Post, when her spokesperson said they “follow all the rules for reimbursements.”

Swalwell purchased a $1.2 million home in Eckington and was reimbursed nearly $19,000 over an 11-month period in 2023.

The Hill has reached out to Swalwell’s office for comment, but his spokesperson said in a statement to the Post that his expenses reflect the actual cost of working in Washington and there’s nothing “average” about having his wife and kids live in two expensive areas.

This story was updated at 10:07 a.m. on June 5.