Congressman Jeff Flake Introduces Legislation to Prevent House Members From Using Taxpayer Dollars for Online Advertising

Congressman Flake Introduces Legislation to Prevent House Members From Using Taxpayer Dollars for Online Advertising

Online Ads Blur Line Between Political and Official Business






Washington, D.C. – Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today introduced H.Res.482, which would prohibit members of the House of Representatives from using funds from their Member Representational Allowance (MRA) to purchase online advertising to drive traffic to their website and increase their name recognition.






The resolution will prevent members of Congress from purchasing online advertisements on websites like Facebook and Google with funds from their office budgets, which are funded by taxpayer dollars.

“Using taxpayer money to purchase online ads that boost the name identification of congressmen blurs the line between political and official business,” said Flake. “Congress’ approval rating is already in the tank – members of Congress are not doing this body a service by giving taxpayers another reason to question how Congress is spending their money.”

Congressman Flake has long sought to curb the abuse of the congressional franking privilege, which allows members of Congress to send constituents glossy mailers highlighting their achievements.






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