In Bed With Congress

Where do local officials rest their heads in D.C.?

by Paul Fain

Given the headline-hogging of today's politicians and pundits,it's not a stretch to imagine a Tinseltown-style "map to the stars" for D.C., complete with a guided stroll among the Georgetown manses of the power elite. Highlights would include multimillion-dollar houses owned at one point by JFK, Sen. John Kerry and Bob Woodward. A lucky sightseer might even catch a glimpse of George Stephanopoulus talking on his cell phone.

But don't expect to see Philly's lawmakers on themap.

The majority of this less-than-glamorous group doesn'trent or own homesin Washington, preferring instead to make a four-hour daily commute. Luckily for them, it's not an everyday trip since Congress is at rest more often than at work. The House is typically in session for fewer than 150 days per year, but productivity tailed off last year, with only 101 days of work. That represents the lowest total in 60 years.

Brady Photo By: Michael T. Regan (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

One congressional commuter is U.S. Rep. Robert E. Andrews, a Democrat representing portions of South Jersey who takes the train to D.C. (Philly representatives Robert A. Brady and Chaka Fattah also takeAmtrak sometimes, but often drive down I-95.)

Andrews, 49, got an apartment in Washington after he was first elected in 1990, but ditched it after getting married in 1993. He says he wanted to spend more time with his family and wasn't staying in the apartment often enough to justify keeping it. Living in Haddon Heights "keeps me grounded in my district," says Andrews, who likes having "people who live in the real world" as neighbors.

Andrews says his workdays usually begin with Amtrak's 7:13 a.m. Acela from 30th Street Station, although he often tries to schedulean event like ahuddle withconstituents before the trip. The high-speed train isscheduled to arrive at Washington's Union Stationat 8:50 a.m. Despite Amtrak's much-publicized bungling, Andrews says 99 percent of his trips are snag-free. He makes good use of his time on the train,working on his laptop, Blackberry and cell phone. (No word on whether he plans to camp out for an iPhone.)

"There's really nothing I can't do," Andrews says, adding that he works on his electronic gadgets so he can "interact with humans" in Washington. But he sometimes has impromptumeetings on the train withfellow lawmakers, including Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., a Democrat from Delaware.

Taxpayers need not fret over the tolls or other commuting costs, such as $101 one-way Acela tickets; members of Congress must pay those expenses out of pocket. They also cover hotel bills when business on Capitol Hill runs late and prevents a trip back to Philadelphia, which was exactly what happened on a recent Wednesday. Congress didn't callit quits until9 p.m., which was too late for Andrews to make the trek back to New Jersey, so he stayed at a Holiday Inn on Capitol Hill. He says he sleeps there about 30 nights in an average year.

Rep. Brady is well acquainted with congressional travel-reimbursement policy. As chairman of the committee on House administration, he's the bigchief when it comes tothe day-to-day rules, like theregulationthat taxpayer money can't go towards rent or mortgage payments in Washington. That's no problem for Brady, who also got rid of his apartment a few years ago, says Stanley White, his chief of staff. White says Brady stays at a hotel once or twice a year, but usually sleeps on a couch in his Capitol Hill office when Congress works into the night.

"It's a long one," White says of the couch.

Representatives Patrick J. Murphy and Allyson Y. Schwartz, both Democrats who answer to parts of Philly, have bucked the hotel-and-couch crowd. Schwartz owns a small one-bedroom condo on Capitol Hill. A spokeswoman says Schwartz stays in the condo if work goes past 6:30 p.m. And Murphy, like many30-somethings inWashington, is sharing an apartment in the obscenely expensive D.C. housing market. His spokesman, Adam Abrams, says Murphy lives with Rep. Tim Walz, a Minnesota Democrat and fellow Army veteran who served in Operation Enduring Freedom. Their pad, a small two-bedroom with a shared kitchen, isa few blocks from the Capitol.

"They hang out together," says Abrams, "and steal each other's food."

(pfain_dc@yahoo.com)

Paul Fain is a reporter in Washington, D.C. Philly on the Potomac will sporadically appear in the News section.