While members of Congress are required to detail how they are spending tax dollars, it's not always possible for the public to learn who the ultimate recipient of that spending is.
Take the case of the office of Rep. John Carter (R-Texas). Jonas Miller, Carter's chief of staff, was listed as the recipient of nearly one in every two dollars spent except for payroll, according to a LegiStorm review of 2021 House spending data. He received $229,560 in total reimbursement expenses. The reimbursements exceeded Miller's salary of $183,445 last year.
Some of the expenses made out to Miller include more than $37,000 for telecom, $22,000 for printing and reproduction and $12,000 for web development hosting. By contrast, most staffers show reimbursements only for personal meal and transportation expenses incurred by travel to and from the member's district.
"To keep our constituents well informed, we produce a lot of franked communications," Emily Dowdell, Carter's communications director, told LegiStorm. "For [efficiency's] sake and in accordance with House Rules and House Administration Committee Regulations, a staff members' credit card has been used to pay for those services rendered and those charges are itemized, documented and have receipts with the Office of Financial Counseling."
The office of Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) also stood out, with Robert Schroeder, Nehls' chief of staff, listed as the recipient of nearly a third of all expenses except for payroll. He received more than $100,000 in total reimbursement expenses, or more than one in every four non-payroll dollars spent. Prior to his current job, Schroeder worked as deputy chief of staff in Rep. Carter's office.
Lack of transparency of spending can sometimes lead to trouble for members of Congress.
In June 2020, LegiStorm was the first to report on the irregular spending activity of the late Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn.), and the matter was referred to the House Committee on Ethics in July 2021 after extensive media scrutiny. In an October 2021 report which cited LegiStorm's reporting, the committee found that Hagedorn "may have used official funds to contract for services with companies owned or controlled by his staff members."
