'Reckless spending crusader' Matt Gaetz led House in reimbursed office expenses: analysis

The MAGA firebrand who presents himself as a crusader against the federal government's "reckless spending" leads his peers in the House of Representatives when it comes to office expenses, according to a new analysis.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was reimbursed for nearly $43,800 in office expenses in 2023, according to a Legistorm report filed Tuesday.

Keturah Hetrick notes that new reimbursement rules allowed Gaetz to receive more than $40,000 for expenses that include lodging, rides and meals.

Gaetz reportedly received $31,000 for housing and $10,800 for meals and $1,900 for car rentals, parking and taxis in 2023, reports Hetrick.

New rules allowed Gaetz to seek these reimbursements for money spent in Washington D.C. while Congress was in session.

"Reimbursement is paid out of an office's Members' Representational Allowance, the annual budgets that go to paying for staff compensation and other costs of running congressional offices," the report notes.

According to the report, that amounts to 99 percent of Gaetz's office allowance. The average is 86 percent. In 2022, Gaetz reported using 90 percent.

In October — the same month he moved to remove then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over promised budget cuts —Gaetz published an opinion piece in Florida's Sun Sentinel called "I'm fighting against reckless spending in D.C."

"In Joe Biden’s America, families are having to pinch pennies, so Congress should too," wrote Gaetz. "Americans literally cannot afford Washington’s reckless spending."