ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich has repaid the federal government for reimbursements he received over a two-year period for personal taxi and ride-booking costs.
The New Mexico Democrat’s office conducted a review of its records after USA Today (https://usat.ly/1aDCgdW ) came across a long series of small-dollar transactions for travel reimbursement as part of a review of Senate expenses.
Questions were raised about whether Heinrich was being repaid for personal commuting. Senate rules prohibit lawmakers from being reimbursed for their own commute from home to work, or for other personal trips.
Heinrich spokeswoman Whitney Potter said Friday it became clear that proper protocols weren’t in place after the senator’s office looked through travel records that stretched from January 2013 through the end of March.
As a result, the senator wrote a check to the U.S. Treasury for $1,909.69 to cover those expenses that were deemed personal.
Heinrich apologized for the mistake.
“I know that the best thing to do when mistakes are made is to own, fix and learn from them,” he said in a statement.
His office has since put in place measures to ensure compliance with the rules.
Potter said Heinrich does not have a driver on staff and uses taxis and public transportation to get around Washington.
Heinrich, who has a background in engineering, was elected to the Senate in 2012 after four years in the U.S. House. He serves on the Energy and Natural Resources, Armed Services, Intelligence and Joint Economic committees.
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