TLP: That's Pronounced 'Bone-Us'

You know that feeling you get when you find money? A few dollars on the street or outside a store. Maybe some bills turn up unexpectedly in the laundry or your wallet. Pretty awesome, right? Now you know what it’s like to be a congressional staffer.

CNN:

Members of the House of Representatives reported up to $6.1 million in staff bonuses between January and March, giving out bonuses as they debated spending cuts and came within minutes of shutting down government over fiscal problems, a CNN investigation has found.

At least one congressman gave thousands of dollars to his own staff as he criticized other federal workers as being overpaid.

The analysis came from a three-week look at the latest House expense report by CNN Radio’s American Sauce, a podcast.

Members of both political parties reported bonuses, though Democrats outspent Republicans, with up to $3.1 million in staff bonuses compared with $908,000 for GOP members. The remaining $2.1 million CNN found was disbursed by committees. Committee spokesmen did not respond or were not able to delineate between Democratic and Republican staff members.

Staff bonuses are not a new phenomenon on Capitol Hill, but only in the past year and a half have salaries and other House expenses been released in a single online report.

The bonuses come as lawmakers on all sides demand spending cuts and belt-tightening from government. The millions in bonuses are a tiny fraction of the roughly $1.5 trillion deficit, but are a symbol of congressional spending at a time of economic struggle.

The best part of the CNN report is that the bonuses come from a no-strings allotment averaging $1.5 million per congressional office. Money not spent from those allowances “stays in the Treasury and keeps the deficit at a lower level,” CNN reported. Yeah, well.

Want to know whether your representative handed out any cash? All you have to do is ask.

Read more at Jr. Deputy Accountant