Let them get second jobs

We are only a day shy of being halfway through 2017, but we might already be able to hand out an award for the most tone-deaf and ill-timed comment made by a public official this year.
The “winner,” if you want to call it that, is an observation made this week by U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who is leaving Congress Friday in order to seek opportunities in the private sector. In an interview with the political website The Hill, the Utah Republican mused lawmakers should be given a $2,500 monthly housing allowance so they can afford to live in both Washington, D.C., and their home states or districts.
“In today’s climate, nobody’s going to suggest or vote for a pay raise,” Chaffetz said. “But you shouldn’t have to be among the wealthiest of Americans to serve properly in Congress.”
That’s true, but the rub is most members of the House and Senate would qualify as being wealthy, or at least highly affluent.
The annual salary of a congressman or senator is $174,000, roughly $118,000 more than the median income of a U.S. household in 2015. According to the website Ballotpedia, the average net worth of a member of the House was $7.8 million in 2011, and it was $14 million for a senator. They may not enjoy Trump-level wealth and, yes, Washington, D.C., is not known for its abundance of affordable housing, but someone who has a seven-figure portfolio should be able to at least find a decent efficiency apartment.
Of course, Chaffetz’s observations are even more inopportune and callous when you consider his soon-to-be-former colleagues are considering steep cuts to housing and rent support, along with cuts to Medicaid, student loans, home energy assistance and a whole host of programs that help Americans who don’t regularly clink wine glasses with lobbyists.
In fact, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway suggested recently Medicaid recipients who would stand to lose health coverage under the now-stalled Republican health plan should go out and find jobs. Perhaps members of Congress should do the same thing to help pay their housing costs. They could mow lawns during their summer recess, work in convenience stores or fast-food restaurants – all the things their constituents sometimes do to help make ends meet.