Wow, look at these costs just for running the Senate and Congress !!!!!

Wow, look at these costs just for running the Senate and Congress !!!!!

While Americans are forced to do more with less, Congress is doing less with more. It is time for serious leadership, which should begin by Congress significantly trimming its own budget and eliminating wasteful or low priority spending.

Reduce the Senate and House of Representatives Accounts by 15 percent – $3.82 billion Since 2000, the combined budget of the House and Senate has grown from $1.2 billion to nearly $2.3 billion.4 In 2010, the budget for the House of Representatives was $1.4 billion and the budget for the Senate was $926 million, their highest levels in history.

Even with a 15 percent reduction, Congress’ budget would still exceed $1.9 billion, approximately the level of funding in 2007. Congress could achieve this cut by reducing salary expenses for staff and cutting back on low-priority spending.

Between 2000 and 2009, the number of House of Representatives staff increased by 11 percent, to 9,808.5 On the other side of the Capitol, the number of Senate staff has swelled by nearly 25 percent, to 6,099, between 2001 and 2010.6

Leadership offices have seen the biggest rise in staff over the last three decades, more than tripling in size since 1977.7 Congress should consider reorganizing and consolidating its leadership and committee structure to ensure that it is designed to promote oversight, eliminate unneeded turf battles, and rationalize jurisdictions.

Experts and think tanks from all sides agree this is an area of government spending that should be reduced. In 2007, the Progressive Policy Institute proposed cutting congressional staff by 10 percent.8 The Heritage Foundation has also recommended reducing the House and Senate accounts.9 And the bipartisan Fiscal Commission recommended cutting Congress’ budget by 15 percent.

In addition, Congress should consider eliminating low-priority programs and spending items that do not contribute to these core duties. These include following:  A benefit House and Senate staffers receive comes in the form of student loan debt repayment. Thousands of congressional staff have taken advantage of the program in

4 Email from the Congressional Research Service, June 8, 2011.

5 ―House of Representatives and Senate Staff Levels in Member, Committee, Leadership, and other Offices, 1977-2010,‖
Congressional Research Service, August 10, 2010, report number: R41366,
http://www.crs.gov/pages/Reports.aspx?PRODCODE=R41366&Source=search

6 ―House of Representatives and Senate Staff Levels in Member, Committee, Leadership, and other Offices, 1977-2010,‖
Congressional Research Service, August 10, 2010, report number: R41366,
http://www.crs.gov/pages/Reports.aspx?PRODCODE=R41366&Source=search

7 ―House of Representatives and Senate Staff Levels in Member, Committee, Leadership, and other Offices, 1977-2010,‖
Congressional Research Service, August 10, 2010, report number: R41366,
http://www.crs.gov/pages/Reports.aspx?PRODCODE=R41366&Source=search

8 ―Return to Fiscal Responsibility II,‖ Progressive Policy Institute, April 2007,
http://www.dlc.org/documents/Fiscal_Responsibility_04302007.pdf
9 ―Additional $47 billion in spending cuts for the Continuing Resolution,‖ Heritage Foundation, February 11, 2011,
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/02/additional-$47-billion-in-spending-cuts-for-the-continuing-resolution

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recent years, with 3,000 House staff alone getting benefits in 2009.10 Senate staffers can get $6,000 per year, and $40,000 in a lifetime, to repay any outstanding student loans.11 House staffers are eligible for an even more, with the opportunity to get $10,000 each year, with a lifetime cap at $60,000.12 In 2009, both houses of Congress combined to spend $18 million for this program.13

Non-drivers can take advantage of benefits to cover the cost of public transportation. Senators can give staff who take the D.C. Metro a voucher worth up to $230 a month is available to pay their fares. House Members can give their staff as much as $230 a month.14 Members are not required to pay for this out of their own budgets, but can provide it to their staffs from a separate account.

wow, we are paying for all of this