Rep. Bruce Braley (D., Iowa) defended keeping the gym for members of Congress open Wednesday on The Bill Press Show, adding his displeasure that there was no towel service and he and fellow legislators had to do their own laundry.
"It's one of the few places where Republicans and Democrats still talk to each other," he said. "I find it ironic that there's this big push to shut down the House gym when it's one of the rare places people come together and actually talk about how we can build relationships, which is the only way we're going to get out of this."
Braley pays $260 a year for his gym membership, he said. That comes out to a little less than $22 per month.
"There's hardly anybody working down there," he said. "There's no towel service, so we're doing our own laundry down there. We pay a fee to belong to the House gym, so this is no different than if you're working at an employer that offers a wellness program, you pay a fee to belong. That's what we do there."
The gym for House staffers has been closed.
[H/T America Rising]
