No. of Reps Who Donated to National Debt in 2010: 3

But even if they gave full salaries, they'd barely make a den
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 29, 2011 7:05 AM CDT
No. of Reps Who Donated to National Debt in 2012: 3
A third congressman, Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-NJ, gave $4,782 in the first quarter and nothing thereafter, according to the Post.   (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

For a bunch of people so concerned with the growing national debt, the House of Representatives doesn't have a lot of members putting their money where their mouths are. The House has program that allows representatives to return a portion of their salaries toward debt reduction (the Senate doesn't even have such a program), but only two or three reps actually do so, the Washington Post reports. Last fall, $2,610.39 was donated—or enough to stave off the national debt's growth for a whopping five one-hundredths of a second.

The money donated doesn't even technically go to America's creditors. Instead, it goes to the General Fund, and the government can use it to pay for new things—thereby indirectly lowering the $14.2 trillion national debt by reducing new borrowing. But donating to the deficit isn't the point, says the spokesperson for the House's Republican Study Committee, a group that advocates spending cuts: “Uncle Sam doesn’t need a bigger chunk of your paycheck. He needs to kick the spending addiction.” (Even so, if you feel compelled to help, click to find out how the public can contribute.) Click through the gallery to see who actually did give. (More national debt stories.)

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