Recently, several congressmen have made much of the fact that they sleep in their offices. They tout it as a way to show they don't consider Washington as their home away from home. Well, according to Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington, it may be illegal.
Reacting to a surge in congressmen bunking down in their work spaces, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wants the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate whether the politicians are getting an unfair tax break and violating their own rules by making personal use of public resources.
"House office buildings are not dorms or frat houses," Melanie Sloan, the group's executive director, said Thursday. "If members didn't want to find housing in Washington, they shouldn't have run for Congress in the first place."
CREW's full release argues that at least 33 congressmen (yes, all men) who sleep in their offices are not only doing so on our dime, but may be doing it as a tax dodge as well. The IRS considers lodging a taxable fringe benefit.
In addition to the ethical and tax questions, CREW says that the office-sleepers also raise other problems as well.
Sloan said that aside from the legal and rules questions, she has heard reports from congressional staffers about uncomfortable work environments.
"Especially if you're a woman and you're working late and your boss is there getting ready for bed, that seems designed for discomfort," she said.
Additionally, the office-sleepers make more work for the cleaning staff and have forced delays in scheduled maintenance.
CREW lists 26 Repubs and seven Dems as confirmed office-sleepers. One has to wonder about the Repubs--how many of them also want "health care for me, but not for thee"? Another question--since the Repubs talk so much about making Congress live by the same rules as the rest of us do, how fast will some of them find new digs once they find out they may be breaking the law?