Taxpayers foot bill for House Peloton perks

Times are tough, money is tight, and a dollar doesn’t stretch as far as it used to.

Americans are dealing with soaring inflation by cutting back on expenses, according to a CNBC + Acorns Invest in You survey, conducted by Momentive. The survey found that if prices continue to spike, more than 50% of adults say they’ll cut back on dining out. People are also cutting back on driving and subscriptions and some are canceling vacations, the survey revealed.

And when we do make purchases, more of us are turning to used items, as opposed to brandnew. According to a report from resale platform ThredUP, 93% of shoppers in the U.S. have or are open to buying secondhand products, up from 70% in 2019. The main reason: saving money.

But there’s a corner of America where perks don’t have to be put off because of high prices — because taxpayers will foot the bill.

We speak, of course, of Capitol Hill.

A draft memo obtained by The Hill that was expected to go out to House staff last week said that the House Center for WellBeing will make Peloton Corporate Wellness benefits available to House staff, including district staff and members of U.S. Capitol Police. The Peloton All-Access and Peloton App membership do not include or require a bike but do include thousands of on-demand classes.

A source familiar with the matter told FOX Business that the contract cost is a $10,000 upfront payment to Peloton, plus an extra $10 per month charge for each staffer or officer that utilizes the benefit. If 12,000 staffers took advantage of the benefit, it would cost taxpayers $120,000 a month. The House also has a fitness center available to staff that requires them to pay a membership fee out-of-pocket. But why slum it when taxpayers can splurge for your Peloton classes?

If House staffers want to kick back after all that exercising, they’re in luck. Food services vendor Sodexo, which operates House cafeterias, restaurants and in-house catering, is now offering same-day orders for alcohol online.

A sign outside the Food Service Administration in the Rayburn House Office Building last week advertised “6 pack & more,” with “drinks on demand at drinks.house.gov.”

Republicans are seeing red. GOP sources said that each office’s Members’ Representational Allowance, a taxpayer-funded pot of money that can be used on official expenses like staff salaries, travel and office space, cannot be used to purchase the alcohol. House rules prohibit the MRA from being used on personal expenses or activities that are primarily social in nature.

“Instead of getting inflation under control by cutting government spending, the House will spend $100,000 a month on Peloton memberships,” tweeted Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.). “Putting the political elite over the American people once again.”

This is just the latest example of elected officials using their positions of power for personal perks — remember when Capitol Hill lawmakers made sure they were first in line to receive COVID shots? The reasoning was that muscling to the front ensured “continuity of government” and would help inspire confidence in the vaccine — the same vaccine that people were clamoring for as the pandemic gained ground in the U.S.

Winning an election should not be a golden ticket for lawmakers heading to D.C. They are public servants, and we pay their salaries. To drop $100,000 on Peloton memberships while constituents struggle to afford food is not just an outrage, it’s obscene.