U.S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, has requested that the $250,000 that remains unspent from his office budget be directed immediately toward the national debt.

“Families in my South Florida district are tightening their belts and making sacrifices every day during these tough economic times,” Rivera stated in a release. 

“I understand the difficulties they are facing. That is why I am making every effort to reduce our national debt, including transferring unused funds from my congressional office budget to the Treasury immediately, so that future generations of Americans do not have to shoulder such a heavy burden and our nation’s economy can get moving again.”

For 2011, the average congressional member representational allowance was $1.45 million.

The money is to cover expenses of district offices and the representative’s Washington, D.C., office.

Unspent money is usually set into a shared account for two years before it is moved to the U.S. Treasury.