Capitol Hill Ubers Everywhere, Thanks to Taxpayers

As taxpaying Americans, we often ponder the destination of our tax dollars. Are they fueling the wheels of progress, or are they trickling into the silk lined pockets of government officials who have sworn to work in the best interests of Americans? In this article, I will be pulling back the curtain on the House’s spending for the first quarter of this year and comparing it with the same quarter of last year, and the insights are eye-opening.

The House disbursement data is a public record of expenditures. It is more than a list of transactions. It can indicate the priorities of the House and how they use taxpayers money for personal comfort and benefit. For this data, I wanted to look at the first quarter of this year and the last to see if a trend emerged.

(Left) bar chart comparing the total expenditures (in millions) in 2022 Q1 (Right) bar chart comparing the total expenditures (in millions) in 2023 Q1 Annotations are percent and dollar increase.

One surprising discovery is the increase of spending in Taxi/Private Transportation services. Our first visualization shows this this trend and puts in comparison to education and research spending, things like loan forgiveness and grants. As you can see, there was a staggering 97% increase in Taxi/Private Transport. And worse, in my opinion, this increase is less than that of the total increase of Education and Research. This reveals a notable increase in spending compared to the same quarter last year. Is convenience for our representatives a valid expense when schools and research are getting less attention? The rate of this increase raises questions. Is this increase justified, and how does it align with the average taxpayer’s expectations?

This bar chart is comparing the total expenditures (in millions) in 2022Q1 and 2023Q1 between four different sectors. The color of the bar corresponds to the year & quarter.

Now, let us dive a little deeper than this to analyze spending in other critical areas: Education, Health, and the Environment. My second visualization tells a similar story. While there are mostly positive expenditures in these areas, they do not really eclipse the radical increase seen in transportation services. Seeing things like Health getting a decrease in spending as well is disheartening when looking at where some of that money went. It is also telling just how little spending the environment is getting, and how private transportation absolutely dwarfs it. This disparity could be an indication of where your money is heading, and how things you would wish to see are being stifled because of lazy and luxurious comfort spending.

These financial decisions, made within the halls of Capitol Hill, resonate beyond their confines. They affect our communities, our families, and our future. The question is not how much is being spent, but whether these expenditures line up with how American wish their dollars to be used, which is often not the case. This trend is surely not the only example of suspicious spending increases in self gratifying areas, and is likely all too common. What about fancy meals and things the average American cannot even afford right now? These are the kinds of things that Capitol Hill may be using tax dollars for.

This analysis should be just the beginning for taxpayers, and it should be a wake up call for all Americans. We need to ensure that our money is not being used recklessly in the future, as it already is . It empowers us, the taxpayers, to ask pertinent questions, demand justifications, and steer the conversation towards equitable allocation of national resources.

With all of this being said, it is important to know that not all people on capitol hill are evil or trying to embezzle. There are lawmakers who are fighting to overturn some of these antiquated systems in order for taxes to better represent the wants and needs of Americans. However, the story embedded within these numbers should serve as a catalyst for reflection and engagement. By comparing these sectors, we are not just observing changes in spending; we are assessing the shifting priorities of our nation’s leadership. In a democratic setup, staying informed is not just a right, it is a civic duty that upholds the pillars of transparency and accountability in our nation.