Posted by Keturah Hetrick on March 14, 2022
Of the 11 representatives who spent more than 97 percent of their official budgets, 10 were Democrats.
Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) topped the charts, with his office spending more than 98.7 percent of its annual allowance. Of his total budget, 87.5 percent went toward paying his staff, compared to a House average of 69.0 percent.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), the next highest spender, put 82.8 percent of his budget toward staffer pay.
Democratic Reps. Seth Moulton (Mass.), Anna Eshoo (Calif.), Peter DeFazio (Ore.), Dutch Ruppersberger (Md.), Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), Ann Kuster (N.H.) and Betty McCollum (Minn.), as well as Republican Mike Simpson (Idaho), also each spent more than 97.0 percent of their office budgets.
Democrats also spent more on average, with 87.1 percent of their budgets used. GOP members averaged 85.2 percent.
With about 62.1 percent spent, Rep. Jim Baird (R-Ind.) disclosed the smallest expenses of any office. It's the norm for congressional offices to report some expenses after the year is over, and Baird's office was late on reporting expenses for more than 13 percent of his 2020 budget.
Any unused funds are returned to the Department of the Treasury.
Some people and organizations who "caught our eye" last week:
