At least 50 members of congress sleep in their offices rather than rent out homes in d. C.

Congress can be a home away from home for lawmakers, and no one knows that better than the 50-plus elected officials — including top Republicans like newly anointed House Speaker Paul Ryan

and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — who convert their offices into bedrooms after hours. The reason for camping out, _The New York Times_ explains, is "fiscal, practical, and

political," allowing lawmakers to dodge Washington rent and work extra long hours (Ryan, for example, tries to maintain a 9 p.m. bedtime and rises before 6 a.m.). What's more, most

of them consider "home" to be elsewhere — a 5,800-square-foot mansion in Wisconsin, if you're Ryan, for example. Why waste time and money finding a place in D.C. when a cot

in the office does the trick just as well? The practice is widespread. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) has been through three mattresses in his time in office: SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your

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directly to your inbox. Some watchdog organizations wag their fingers at the practice of office-sleeping, claiming the congressmen unfairly take advantage of taxpayer dollars for their

"housing." But Chaffetz insisted it's out of necessity, not a way to dupe the system. "It's uncomfortable and it's just lonely," he said. Explore More

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