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WASHINGTON – Republican freshmen who came to Congress last year promising to transform Washington's free-spending culture are no different from most other lawmakers in at least one respect: They mailed out millions of taxpayer-funded flyers and brochures during their first year in office.
By Brendan Hoffman, Getty ImagesAbout 80% of House members — 347 — sent unsolicited mail.
By Brendan Hoffman, Getty ImagesAbout 80% of House members — 347 — sent unsolicited mail.
GOP freshmen sent more than 25.6 million pieces of unsolicited mail last year at a cost of nearly $9.8 million, according to a review of records compiled by the chief administrative officer of the House.The figures cover only the nine months from April 1 to Dec. 31. Prior to that, mass mailings were not broken out from other taxpayer-financed mass communications allowed under the congressional franking rule. The costs include the expense of producing the piece and the price of postage.Among the findings:•House members sent out more than 77 million pieces of franked mail at a cost $27.9 million. That amounts to an average $63,000 for each of the 444 lawmakers who served at some point during the nine months.•Of the 10 lawmakers who spent the most taxpayer money on franked mail, eight were GOP freshmen. Of the 25 who spent the most, 18 were GOP freshmen. Republicans Joe Heck of Nevada ($319,251), Bobby Schilling of Illinois ($293,021) and Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee ($282,385) topped the list.House members sent out nearly 77 million pieces of unsolicited mass mailings in the last nine months of 2011 at a cost of $27.9 million (figures were not available for the first three months of the year).Of the 10 House members who spent the most sending such mailings, eight are freshmen:1) Joe Heck (R, freshman), Nevada: $319,2512) Bobby Schilling (R, freshman), Illinois: $293,0213) Scott DesJarlais (R, freshman), Tennessee: $282,3854) David McKinley (R, freshman), West Virginia: $263,0835) Gerald Connolly (D), Virginia: $261,7996) Peter DeFazio (D), Oregon: $258,6907) Todd Young (R, freshman), Indiana: $256,9568) Vicky Hartzler (R, freshman), Missouri: $253,1569) Kevin Yoder (R, freshman), Kansas: $244,48810) Joe Walsh (R, freshman), Illinois: $237,355Source: House chief administrative officer•About 80 percent of House members — 347 — sent unsolicited mail. Those who sent none included seven of the 87 GOP freshmen and one freshman Democrat.Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, said he's not surprised that newer members top the list of frankers — just like their Democratic predecessors."Clearly, this helps make the case that franking is really about protecting incumbency rather than informing their constituents about what's going on in Washington," he said. "It should give some constituents pause about changing the way of Washington, about whether these freshmen are doing that."The congressional frank is essentially a facsimile of a lawmaker's signature that allows mail to be sent at taxpayer expense. Such mailings are restricted to official business and must not contain campaign-related content.Newer House members, whom constituents may not know well, typically use the frank more than veteran lawmakers.House members cannot send mass communications within 90 days of a primary or general election. The restriction is 60 days for senators. Senators tend to spend far less on franking due to a cap on mass mailings in any fiscal year, according to the Congressional Research Service.A study last year by the independent Congressional Management Foundation reported that members tend to send less franked mail the longer they're in office and the better-known they become in their districts. Freshman members in 2010, for example, spent an average $101,764 apiece on franked mail, compared to $80,186 for second-term members and $46,805 for third-term members, according to the study.Republicans captured the House in 2010 by campaigning to rein in the size and scope of government and change the profligate spending habits of a House then controlled by Democrats. Some singled out franking in making their case.When he ran for Congress two years ago, New Hampshire Republican Frank Guinta blasted Democratic incumbent Carol Shea-Porter's frankings as "propaganda," and described them as "campaigning with our tax dollars."As a freshman, Guinta sent 469,013 mass mailings last year at a cost to taxpayers of $206,276, ranking him 21st among House members for money spent on franked mail. In one piece distributed in October, he told constituents that he "is working to improve the economy for your family."Guinta did not respond to requests for comment.The mailings that GOP freshmen sent out last year covered a range of hot-button topics, including the federal budget, proposed changes to Medicaid, and immigration policies, according to a review of pieces from more than 20 lawmakers. Many included questionnaires asking constituents for their views or publicizing an upcoming town hall meeting in their community.GOP freshman Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri sent out 646,924 mailings last year. The $253,156 cost ranked eighth-highest among House members and sixth-highest among freshmen, records show.Hartzler, who replaced longtime Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton, noted she's a new member representing a rural district."After 34 years of leadership by (Skelton), we feel like it's important for me people to get to know me and for me to hear from them," she said. "It's part of serving the people that you represent is to communicate with them, and that's always been a priority of mine."Some mailers also paint partisan lines.In one brochure Arizona Democrat Raul Grijalva sent constituents, the fifth-term lawmaker promised to "continue to fight against Republican efforts to end Medicare as we know it."Eight Republican freshmen reported spending no taxpayer money on mass mailings over the nine-month period."I can't say that I'm opposed to it, but we… decided that we could force ourselves to work harder to be in front of our constituents," said one of the eight, Republican Rep. Tim Scott of South Carolina. "We've tried to master social media as a way of saving money and touching more people and having a conversation and a dialogue more than you can really achieve through direct mail."House lawmakers have wide latitude to decide how much to spend on taxpayer-funded mailings. On average, each lawmaker received a $1.45-million office budget last year to spend as he or she saw fit — on staff, rent for district offices, supplies, equipment and communications.Republicans note they set an example for thrift by voting to cut their office budgets 5% in 2011, and several have returned more than $100,000 in unspent money to the Treasury.Restrictions have been imposed on the franking privilege over the years to make mass mailings less promotional and more informational. Each communication must be reviewed and pre-approved by a bipartisan commission.Even so, colorful mailers bragging about a representative's accomplishments and reminding constituents how hard the member works for them are common.Freshman GOP Rep. Steve Southerland from Florida, who spent $90,759 on mailings last year, said they're an important way to reach out to his 740,000 constituents spread among 12,000 square miles and two time zones."Knowing that nothing of success ever occurs without there being proper communication, my question to you is how do I communicate with those limits placed upon me while at the same time bridge the gap between the people and their government," he said.Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen and Raju Chebium, Gannett Washington BureauDeirdre Shesgreen and Raju Chebium, Gannett Washington BureauDeirdre Shesgreen and Raju Chebium, Gannett Washington BureauFor more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
