The so-called Couch Caucus may soon have to hunt for apartments.
Rep. Kathleen Rice has proposed an amendment to a bill set to fund the legislative branch that would stop lawmakers from sleeping in their offices.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for members of Congress to treat his or her office as a personal residence,” the New York Democrat told the Hill on Monday.
She is worried uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situations could arise if lawmakers treat their office as a bedroom.
“It creates an atmosphere that increases the chances of an awkward interaction with a staff member,” said Rice. “At worst, it creates an environment where it makes it easier for a member to harass or abuse their employees.”
The average member of Congress earns $174,000 a year, and those in leadership positions earn more. According to NPR, most who sleep in their office are Republican men.
Maintaining a residence in their district while also paying rent in expensive Washington, D.C., is not feasible for some members of Congress. An estimated 40 lawmakers choose to sleep in their Washington offices to save money, according to NPR.
Some are worried that putting an end to this practice would exclude many competent people from running for office.
“If we go to the point where you have to rent or have to buy [in D.C.], then only millionaires would be members of Congress,” former New York Rep. Dan Donovan told the New York Post last year. “I don’t think that was the intent of our Founding Fathers.”
Other lawmakers have argued this arrangement poses an ethics violation because it uses government resources for personal reasons.
The appropriations bill was put on hold Monday night over disagreement regarding a $4,500 cost-of-living increase in lawmaker salaries.
