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Former Tea Party Reps. Allen West, R-Fla., and Todd Akin, R-Mo., were among the House members who handed out the biggest taxpayer funded-bonuses to their staffers, just before leaving office after losing their races in 2012. Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) was the third most generous, according to LegiStorm.

West and Akin routinely decried wasteful and out-of-control government spending, calling for major cuts to social programs.

The numbers were taken from LegiStorm, a website that tracks congressional salaries. The site also shows that nine out of the 10 House members who gave out the biggest bonuses were Republicans, while 14 of the top 20 were outgoing members of Congress. http://www.legistorm.com/salaries/house_bonuses_by_member/ type/desc/sort/pro_rate/page/1/filter_year/2012.html

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