IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
“The fallout from Congressman Blum’s reckless spending continues to undercut his credibility,” said DCCC Spokesman Tyler Law.
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EDITORIAL: Questionable use of representational allowance
The Gazette
As The Gazette’s Erin Jordan reported earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, a Republican who represents Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, including Cedar Rapids, decided to spend one-third of that allowance in 2015 on mass-mailings, ads and automated phone calls. The $425,365 he spent on mailings and mass communications was the most spent by any U.S. House member, and is more than the combined spending of Iowa’s three other representatives.
Blum’s spokesman said the congressman would rather communicate “directly” with constituents than spend money on airfare, car leases or a “bloated D.C. staff.” But we can’t help but wonder if having more face time with constituents and more staff available to help Eastern Iowans navigate federal issues — as most congressmen and women do — would be preferable to stuffing their mailboxes.
But we do have a problem with using a six-figure chunk of money that is intended to be spent on serving constituents to send out election-style mailings touting the congressman’s virtues. When we see one mailer reading, “Congressman Rod Blum: Unwavering leadership. Keeping America safe,” we can’t help but wonder if the congressman’s mass-mail spending is more about campaigning than communicating.
But representational allowances should be spent as a service to citizens, not as a perk of incumbency.