Maloney Tampons Purchase For Office Denied Reimbursement

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Just like other businesses, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, has to submit expenses for which he and his office need to be reimbursed. A recent expense, however, was kicked back to him from the finance office in Washington, DC, under the authority and direction of the Committee on House Administration.

The issue? Tampons for his office staff, the majority of whom are women, and visitors.

On June 26, Maloney’s office received an email from a staffer in the House finance office that said Maloney’s office will need to reimburse the government in the amount of $37.16.

“We will be pulling that amount from the next month’s payment,” the email said. “Tampons are not an office supply but a personal care item. Let me know if you have any questions.”

On June 28, Maloney penned a letter to House Administration Committee Chairman Gregg Harper, R-MS, asking him to immediately reverse the CHA’s policy barring the use of funds to purchase feminine hygiene products.

Maloney also took to social media about the controversy.

“My office purchased a box of tampons for constituents, staff and other visitors,” Maloney wrote to Harper. “The office then received notification that this was not a permissible purchase. I have now written a personal check to reimburse the office.”

Maloney continued by saying that the Members’ Representational Allowance can be used to purchase other necessary hygiene products including tissues and hand sanitizer.

“With that in mind, it is simply outrageous that the committee’s policy bars the use of funds for another necessary hygienic product,” he wrote.

Maloney tied the issue to what he called long-overdue discussions regarding women’s rights in Congress.

“This is part of that discussion,” he wrote in the letter.

Erin McCracken, a spokeswoman for the CHA, released a statement to the Washington Post, that said it was permissible to purchase necessary health and safety products to have in his office, and that Maloney did not reach out to the committee about the problem.

Maloney called foul on the CHA’s response.

“They’re lying and backtracking to avoid admitting that they stand by and enforce this archaic, sexist policy,” he said. “They’re blaming some bureaucrat under their own authority for enforcing a policy they created. That’s pretty embarrassing, and it’s shameful.”

Women have been fighting to get make menstrual products exempt from sales tax for some time now.

Only nine states, including New York, have exempted feminine hygiene products from their sales tax and, according to NPR, seven others have introduced legislation to do so.

That would put the menstrual products on par with such health and personal care items dandruff shampoo and lip balm that are exempt from sales tax.

Photo credit: Sean Patrick Maloney's office.