A Politico survey released Tuesday found that Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has returned less than one percent of her office budget to taxpayers over the last three years, making her the most spendthrift member of the upper chamber of Congress.
Politico surveyed the office budgets of all U.S. senators for the last three fiscal years. The study revealed that Boxer returned only .65 percent of her budget to the Treasury, putting her at the bottom of the list. The most frugal senator was Alabama Republican Richard Shelby, who gave back 40 percent of his budget during the same time.
The study also concluded that, for the last two years, Republicans have returned more unspent office funds to taxpayers than Democrats, 11.7 percent to 8.3 percent. The study did not measure funds spent by committee offices.
"We have always dedicated our resources to serving the 38 million people who live throughout California," Boxer spokesman Andy Stone told Politico, "whether it’s helping thousands of homeowners avoid foreclosure, ensuring that veterans and seniors get the benefits they deserve or responding to the millions of calls and emails we receive each year from constituents."
More than 90 percent of Boxer’s office funds are spent on payroll, the Politico study found.