(From left) Francisco Canseco, Chip Cravaack and Adam Kinzinger have all spent thousands. GOP freshmen spend big on cars, PR

They rode into Washington on an anti-spending wave, but some House Republican freshmen are already enjoying one of the perks of incumbency, spending their office budgets on everything from $1,000-a-month car leases to pricey online advertising contracts.

At least 15 GOP freshmen have shelled out tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money on mass communication — or franking — designed to boost their exposure back home, even as they call for budget cuts and pared-back government spending, according to quarterly disbursement reports released by the House.


The biggest newly elected spender in this realm is Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who authorized spending $78,518 in taxpayer money on “mass mailings and communications” — just under $900 for every day he was in office during the first three months of his congressional career. Kinzinger sent a pamphlet to his constituents explaining “some of the ways we can help” in interactions with the government. Kinzinger also advertised the “state-of-the-art multimedia section” on his website.

His office told POLITICO in a statement that it has no more plans for franked mail after it sent a mailing to 217,000 houses across the district.

“Because many constituents were unaware of the assistance a congressional office can provide, the mailer our office sent informs residents that their congressional office is here to serve as a valuable resource for them on issues ranging from Medicare and Social Security to veterans’ benefits and immigration. Constituent services are our office’s top priority,” said Brook Hougesen, Kinzinger’s spokeswoman.

But the spending doesn’t stop at constituent communication — GOP freshmen have also spent big money on car leases and consultants.

Texas Rep. Francisco Canseco spent $75,000 on a one-year contract with CampaignGrid LLC, a company that describes itself as “the online advertising platform for candidates and causes.” Canseco’s staff said the costly expenditure is meant to advertise town halls and telephone town halls and has served to publicize the congressional art competition for the West Texas lawmaker.

“This service allows Congressman Canseco to communicate with his constituents,” said Valentina Weis, a spokeswoman for Canseco. “We have been able to inform constituents of services offered by the office like help with federal agencies, [the] time and location of events such as town halls and how government legislation will affect them.”

Minnesota Rep. Chip Cravaack, who unseated longtime Iron Range Democratic Rep. Jim Oberstar, spent $1,700 on an automobile lease in March. His office said the price tag is inflated because of initial purchasing costs, but the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox AWD will cost taxpayers “roughly $1,000 [per month] for the remainder of the lease.”

Congressional car leases have been a significant source of controversy in the past — Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) faced criticism for a $777 a month Cadillac lease a few years ago — but Cravaack’s office said he needs the car because of the size and climate of the district, frequent trips home and “an extensive mobile office constituent outreach program.”

The spending habits of freshmen like Kinzinger contrast with those of other high-profile rookie members who spent nothing on congressional franking during the first quarter, including Republican Reps. Allen West and Sandy Adams of Florida, Rick Berg of North Dakota and Larry Bucshon of Indiana. Some Republican frosh have so far decided against leasing cars on the taxpayer dime as well. Many lawmakers don’t send mailings in the first quarter, insiders say.

The office spending by some of these freshmen shows that, despite their rhetoric — Republicans are talking about cutting trillions of dollars from the federal budget — some are already enjoying the perks of their congressional office budget early in their term.

To be clear, all of these expenditures — especially mailings and car leases — have a long history in Congress. Franking is a privilege of congressional lawmakers dating back to 1775 and the Continental Congress. Members are permitted to use government resources to communicate with their constituents on policy but are prohibited from using the mail for campaign or partisan purposes. Communication must be approved by a bipartisan panel. Members receive upward of $1 million in taxpayer money to operate their offices at home and in Washington. It goes to staff salaries and overhead costs, including flights back to the district, among other things.

But the spending, in some cases, opens the freshmen — who vowed to shake up Washington and slash spending — to criticism.

And it’s not only freshmen who are spending big bucks on constituent communication. So far, the king of franking in 2011 is Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan. He doled out $142,198 in taxpayer money in the first three months of 2011 — equal to over $1,000 every day.

One “veterans update” Buchanan sent out asked, “in the aftermath of the shooting in Tucson, Arizona” — which left Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords with severe injuries and six others dead — “should Congress approve new gun control measures?” On another mailing targeted to seniors, he asked whether Social Security and Medicare should be “exempted from spending cuts aimed at reducing the deficit.”

Max Goodman, his spokesman, said, “We really make it a priority … to listen to people and stay in touch.”

Freshman Rep. Richard Nugent, another Florida Republican who represents a senior-heavy district, has spent $64,292 since Jan. 3. Records indicate Nugent, who didn’t respond for comment, sent out 12,768,697 pieces of communication — among the highest amounts last quarter.

But it’s not limited to Republicans. In the same time period, New Jersey Democratic Rep. Rush Holt spent $79,795, and veteran Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) spent $60,766.

New York Rep. Thomas Reed wasn’t far from the lead for GOP freshmen, spending $69,439 in the first three months of 2011, according to disbursement reports filed with the House.

“We were sort of in an unusual situation because the seat was vacant for nine months before Tom took office,” said Tim Kolpien, Reed’s spokesman. Reed replaced Democratic Rep. Eric Massa, who resigned because of a sex scandal in March 2010. “So when Tom took office, we did a massive mail piece … that basically let people know they did have a representative in the House again.” Kolpien said that “one mailing was responsible for the overwhelming majority of the amount of franking that we have done.”

Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), who spent $51,506 on mass communication, printed a pamphlet that explains “How a House Bill Becomes a Law,” illustrating in flow-chart fashion how legislation snakes through Congress — just one of his pieces of communication.

Courtney Whetstone, a spokeswoman for Stivers, said that “constituent service is a priority for our office, and teletowns, e-newsletters and survey mailers are all great ways for our office to have an open dialog with the citizens of Ohio’s 15th Congressional District. We have a responsible office budget and are on track to return a significant portion of those funds at the end of this year.”

Republican Rep. Richard Hanna, who spent $60,585 last quarter, told his constituents in upstate New York that he “cut $100 billion in government spending.” Hanna also said he “voted to reform the health care law to make it more affordable and accessible.” House Republicans, in fact, missed the mark to cut $100 billion in spending. Hanna’s office did not reply to requests for comment.

In his mailings, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) wanted to know how his constituents rank issues such as national security, abortion, illegal immigration, crime and jobs and the economy.

He also asked 11th District residents whether they would “like to receive periodic email updates so we can communicate without spending money on printing and postage,” adding that he “voted to eliminate a law that required all laws to be printed, saving taxpayers $7 million per year.”

He didn’t mention the $18,358 he spent on mailings last quarter.

Marin Cogan contributed to this report.