Matt’s Five Points • 0 implied HN points • 15 Mar 12
- Congress members have a budget called the Member's Representational Allowance (MRA) to pay for staff, travel, and office expenses. This budget is determined by distance from Washington, cost of living, and the number of voters in their district.
- Currently, each member has about $1.4 million to $1.5 million for these expenses, which is significantly less than the $20 million suggested for better staffing. Many representatives are hesitant to increase their budgets due to political pressures from voters.
- Increasing staff budgets could help Congress function better, but it's hard to achieve because voters generally don't support higher spending for their representatives or their staff. Any change would likely need to be subtle and carefully managed.