The House Ethics committee is launching an investigation into whether Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) improperly collected over $9,000 in reimbursements meant to subsidize housing costs for members of Congress.
A new referral from the Office of Congressional Conduct, the nonpartisan entity charged with reviewing ethics complaints against lawmakers, recommended the committee investigate Mace after finding “substantial reason to believe” that she “engaged in improper reimbursement practices”
The referral alleges Mace received the maximum amount lawmakers can expense for lodging at her D.C. property over 13 months in 2023 and 2024 at a total greater than the cost of her actual expenses at the property. The report claims Mace collected $9,485.46 in excess reimbursements.
Mace did not participate in the probe, and her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An attorney for Mace submitted a response to OCC in December accusing her former fiance Patrick Bryant of providing records and sharing “false narratives and spurious characterizations” with OCC. Bryant did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mace’s breakup with Bryant exploded into headlines last year when she accused Bryant and three other South Carolina men of sexual abuse during a House subcommittee hearing last year. Bryant has denied Mace’s allegations.
The release of the report falls just ahead of the 60-day window when the House Ethics committee would be forbidden from taking on new investigations ahead of an election in which the subject of the probe is a candidate. Mace is running for governor of South Carolina, which is holding its primary on June 9th.
The reimbursement practices Mace is alleged to have violated are relatively new for House members. In April 2023, lawmakers for the first time were able to claim reimbursement for meals and lodging on a voluntary basis. The cash comes from the same office accounts that fund their official travel and staff salaries. Mace’s case is one of the first House Ethics cases dealing with the relatively new rules, which were the first update to Congress’ financial operation in decades.
Lawmakers haven’t raised their own pay since the depths of the Great Recession and have voted each year to block cost-of-living increases for fear of political backlash. But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle lamented the cost of maintaining two residences on their $174,000 annual salaries and the reimbursement process was intended to lessen the out-of-pocket load for lawmakers.
Katherine Tully-McManus contributed to this report.
