Buried hundreds of words deep within an article in “The Athletic,” the New York Times’ online sports publication, about the looming failure of the Protect College Sports Act after the Democrat sweep, is this fascinating bit of information:
“Many lawmakers simply don’t return to Washington after being voted out. They lose their physical office space starting next week.”
What? WHAT???? They lose the election and blow off their last two months on the job? No elected member of Congress who does that should be allowed to hold elected office ever again. They should forfeit those two months of salary and their pensions. No one should hire them for any job; they should be shamed and shunned. Their names should be prominently displayed, published and circulated. In fact, this practice—how long has it been going on? Centuries?—should have been illegal, and a law should be passed imposing a hefty fine on any House member or Senator who engages in it.
My head started exploding when I read that passage 20 minutes ago, and it hasn’t stopped oozing brain matter like Mt. Vesuvius oozed lava yet.
The 2026 Mid-Terms Ethics Train Wreck is gathering steam…
I can’t find any other source that says that the members lose their office space next week. Almost all say they retain their offices until Jan 3 or a few days before.
Why do they lose their physical office spaces so soon? I understand they eventually need to make way for their successors, but that’s not until January.