Congressmen Sleep on Office Couches Rather than Invest in D.C. Real Estate

Dignity be damned! “As many as one in ten” congressmen may sleep in their D.C. offices rather than bother investing in D.C. real estate, according to a great article in The Chicago Tribune:

Quigley and other House members, who earn $174,000 a year, cite two reasons for taking advantage of this little-known perk. One is frugality. The other is image.

With two daughters in private college, Quigley says, his home in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood is all he can afford. Moreover, planting roots in the nation’s capital – a place plenty of Americans love to hate – doesn’t seem like good politics to Quigley, who is fifth from the bottom of the House seniority list.

“I like to think that this reinforces the point that I live in the district, that I spend most of my time in the district, and I’m trying to be in solid contact with my constituents,” he said.

More here.

drubinstein@observer.com