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Local Braun office will help constituents — and Braun

District, January 4, 2019

 A new U.S. Senate office that will help residents sort out their problems with federal agencies — while potentially creating grateful voters — will open here soon.

Republican Sen. Mike Braun's office in the Winfield K. Denton Federal Building in downtown Evansville will be strictly in service of his official senatorial duties. But the work of caseworkers — "constituent services" in congressional parlance — also helps the elected representative whose office provides it. The ability to help constituents with their problems is a significant advantage of incumbency in election campaigns.

The main idea is to help area residents navigate their interactions with federal agencies such as the U.S. Social Security Administration or Veterans Administration. Typical problems include hassles over Social Security checks, problems with the IRS, immigration issues and even mortgage issues.

"I may hook someone up with a caseworker," said Vanderburgh County resident Steve Hammer, who will serve as Braun's field representative. "The caseworker knows how to work their way through the hundreds, if not thousands, of federal government agencies. How to get things done."

Evansville resident Kassy Lauer credits 8th District Larry Bucshon's office with helping expedite her native Polish husband's attempt to re-enter the U.S. legally. The effort to get Marcin Lauer back into the country was emotionally wrenching, Kassy Lauer said last year — a problem not helped by the prodigious amounts of paperwork involved.

The help of Bucshon's Evansville staff was crucial, she said.

Lauer, a self-described political progressive, has little in common with Republican Bucshon, a booster of President Donald Trump. She chuckled when asked last year whether she would vote for Bucshon in November's election.

"I guess I have to, don't I?" Lauer said. "I don't see how I couldn't after what happened."

Bucshon, who won that election, employs three caseworkers in district offices. Braun, a statewide elected official, almost certainly will have more than that.

Hammer, a local GOP activist, was Braun's Vanderburgh County campaign chairman. Senate field representative jobs often go to political supporters. Sen. Todd Young's local field representative is Brenda Goff, a longtime Republican activist.

Hammer doesn't know when the office will open, but he expects it to happen this month. He said it's likely that Braun and Young, both Republicans, will share office space in the federal building.

It is not easy to pin down the amount of money a U.S. senator spends on office expenses, including what is spent in home state offices in federal buildings. But funding Congress' upper body is expensive in every-day terms.

In June, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended a 2019 appropriation of $429 million for the Senators’ Official Personnel and Office Expense Account, which supports personnel, office expenses and official mail for senators. The account funds salaries and benefits of Senate staffers and the senators' office expense allowance. Some of the funding is based on the populations of senators' states, the distance from Washington, D.C., and the number of postal addresses in the state.

The 2018 report does not specify senators by name, reporting the numbers by states instead. Indiana's senators, Braun and Young, each have a total 2019 allowance of $3,598,989. The number is in line with most other states.

As befitting the massive federal budget, there's a dizzying array of numbers and rules to go with them.

"Each Senator is authorized $40,000 for state office furniture and furnishings for one or more offices, if the aggregate square footage of office space does not exceed 5,000 square feet," states an April report of the Congressional Research Service. "The base authorization is increased by $1,000 for each authorized additional incremental increase in office space of 200 square feet."

Hammer, who unsuccessfully sought a seat on the Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners last year, laughed when told that he will be a federal employee under Braun. He won't be alone. According to the Secretary of the Senate, 4,085 individuals were employed in senators’ offices throughout the U.S. as of May.

Thomas Langhorne
Courier & Press