On 11 November, Representative-Elect Cori Bush of Missouri tweeted about the expense of business clothes for a new representative: "I'm going thrift shopping tomorrow." The responses I've seen are entirely encouraging, with many including tags of thrift shops in Washington, DC, and some even including offers of gifts. But all gifts to a member of the House of Representatives have to be reported, as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez learned between November 2018 and January 2019, when she had to be careful about offers to put her up while she looked for a place to live. As Bush points out, the system is not designed to make participation easy for anyone without "generational wealth." (Andrew Shields, #111words, 29 November)
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