A freshman Republican congressman said Monday he will reject both the House health plan and his lawmaker’s pension, saying he came to Washington to get work done, not to take taxpayers’ money.
“I didn’t run for Congress for the perks,” said Rep. Ron DeSantis, Florida Republican. “I ran for office to be the type of citizen legislator our Founding Fathers envisioned and to change the prevailing culture in Washington.”
Mr. DeSantis has sponsored legislation that would end all congressional pensions, and he said his decision to forgo his own is his effort to lead by example.
As for health insurance, members of Congress have voted to give themselves famously generous plans. Mr. DeSantis said he and his wife will turn that down and have instead bought a more expensive and less generous plan.
