Should Congress Take A Haircut? Senator Says Barbershop, Other Perks Ripe For Savings

A million bucks to operate the Senate barbershop. Another million to pay staffers at the Capitol Hill gift shops. Up to a thousand dollars per month, per person, to pay for vehicle leases for House members.

These are among the litany of expenses tied to the day-to-day operation of Capitol Hill -- expenses that one senator says should be put under the microscope, now that other agencies are cutting back due to sequester.

"As the federal government manages sequestration, Congress should finally do what it has avoided doing for so long - identify fiscal priorities - and there is no better place to start than within Congress's own halls," Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., wrote in a letter this week to House Speaker John Boehner. "Congress must lead by example."

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