Rep. Ron Kind Returns $92,587 to Taxpayers from Annual Office Budget

La Crosse, WI – U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) announced today that he is returning $92,587.23 to the U.S. Treasury to help pay down the deficit. Rep. Kind has donated a portion of his congressional budget every year since first taking office, for a total of $1.6 million returned to taxpayers.

“On the heels of tax day, it’s important to remember that the only thing people like less than paying taxes is wasteful spending,” said Rep. Kind.“That’s why, every year, I find savings in my office budget and have given back more than $1.6million to the taxpayers. Wisconsinites know the value of a dollar and I’m working hard to change our spending priorities to get our budget back on track so our children and grandchildren aren’t left to deal with our debt.”

In addition to his annual budget givebacks, Rep. Kind is a leading voice for fiscal responsibility in Congress. He’s working to reform spending in three key areas: rising health care costs, defense spending and outdated farm subsidy programs that benefit a handful of large agribusinesses. He has also consistently opposed the automatic cost-of-living increase for Members of Congress, and worked to reform the tax code to make sure that everyone pays their fair share.

Overall, congressional office budgets have been cut by 16% since Fiscal Year 2010.