The House Ethics Committee has begun reviewing Representative Nancy Mace’s use of a reimbursement program for lodging and other expenses of Congress members working in Washington, according to a committee member familiar with the preliminary inquiry.
Following a complaint, lawmakers are being asked to look into whether Ms. Mace, Republican of South Carolina, overcharged the program thousands of dollars for expenses related to her Washington townhouse. According to the lawmaker familiar with the preliminary inquiry, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it, the full committee will consider the details of the complaint over the coming days.
The committee has not taken a vote to authorize an investigation.
A change to House rules that went into effect last year allows members to be repaid for costs of lodging and food while they are on official business in Washington, up to $34,000 a year. Lawmakers are not required to submit receipts to be reimbursed, but they are strongly encouraged to keep them for their records.
According to the latest report by the Committee on House Administration, Ms. Mace was repaid more than $23,000 in lodging costs in 2023. Documents reviewed by The New York Times showed that amount included expenses for insurance, taxes and other monthly bills related to her townhouse. Lawmakers who own homes in the Washington area — as is the case for Ms. Mace — may not seek reimbursement for mortgage payments.
Under the program, lawmakers may only request reimbursement for their portion of housing costs incurred while in Washington. But according to the deed of her home and a person familiar with Ms. Mace’s personal expenses, she is a partial owner of the home with her former fiancé, and would not be permitted to seek repayment for the full costs associated with the shared home.
The discrepancies in her filings were first reported by The Washington Post, which noted that Ms. Mace was among a number of lawmakers whose total reimbursements were near the program’s maximum.
Ms. Mace’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Added scrutiny of Ms. Mace’s spending reports comes amid tensions between the South Carolina Republican and a number of former members of her staff who recently resigned. Daniel Hanlon, who served as Ms. Mace’s chief of staff until December of last year, launched a primary campaign to unseat his former boss from office. He dropped out of the race in March.
Ms. Mace now faces Catherine Templeton, a former candidate for governor who worked under Nikki Haley when she was governor. Ms. Templeton also has the backing of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who — since being ousted from House leadership by eight Republicans including Ms. Mace — has devoted himself to unseating those detractors by supporting their primary opponents. Tuesday’s primary election will be the first test of his efforts.
The fund-raising group controlled by Mr. McCarthy, Majority Committee PAC, made a $10,000 contribution to Ms. Templeton’s campaign in April. A number of groups with close affiliations to the former speaker have also contributed to the effort to unseat Ms. Mace.
During weekend stops in Hilton Head and Beaufort, Ms. Mace did not appear to address the reports of misuse. Instead, in her final primary push she spoke to voters about economic issues and border security, and highlighted the support of former President Donald J. Trump, who endorsed her in March, calling her a “strong conservative voice.”
Annie Karni contributed reporting.