US representative Nancy Mace spent a total of more than $19,395 over a nine-month period under a taxpayer-funded program that does not require lawmakers to show receipts, The Washington Post reported.
In a Washington Post article published Tuesday, Mace was one of a handful of House lawmakers who received at least $5.2 million during official business in Washington last year under a new taxpayer-funded food and shelter program. The intent of the program was to make it easier for lawmakers to cover the costs of their individual homes while in DC and their districts. The program does not require lawmakers to provide receipts.
The Washington Post article details possible abuses of the program because it lacks verification whether the payment is legitimate. The program’s rules allow lawmakers to receive reimbursement for days they worked or flew to DC. Lawmakers could not charge more than their actual spending and were subject to daily spending limits set by the General Services Administration.
The spending was bipartisan, as Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz was the program’s largest spender, and California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell also requested large refunds.
Mace spent $19,395 for the nine months ending September 30, 2023, despite co-owning a Capitol Hill mansion worth $1,649,000 with her former fiancé, Patrick Bryant. Her expenses average more than $2,000 per month. The Post used anonymous sources who said they warned her about repayment limits. The Post reported that Mace spent more than $3,000 on lodging in January, March and May.
The Post reported that an anonymous source had a document that listed Mace’s monthly expenses for the mansion at $1,726.
Mace denied wrongdoing and declined to explain her spending in detail to The Washington Post. Mace’s team did not respond to requests for an explanation of the state’s spending.
The Post further reported that anonymous sources said Mace had instructed her staff to request the maximum reimbursement each day the House met, regardless of her actual expenses. Mace’s spokeswoman denied this accusation.
“We follow all rules for refunds,” Gabrielle Lipsky, a spokeswoman for Mace, told The Post.
Misuse of taxpayer dollars could violate federal law and House rules, Kedric Payne, former deputy chief counsel for the Office of Congressional Ethics, told The Post.
Catherine Templeton, one of Mace’s Republican opponents in the 1st Congressional District primary and former DHEC leader, responded to the Post’s report. “Nancy Mace stole from all of us,” said Templeton campaign manager Chet Martin. “She’s broke, so she’s taking money from our tax dollars to bail out her poor decision making. She should resign.”
