Metro

Rangel’s rent excuse is nothing but a ruse: federal records

None of New York City’s 12 other members of Congress failed to pay rent because of last year’s federal sequester — the excuse Rep. Charles Rangel gave for stiffing state taxpayers out of $87,000.

“It’s not just my office. It’s any office that had to take a cut that we didn’t ask for in our budget,” the deadbeat pol whined in a TV interview following The Post exposé last Sunday.

After missing three payments, Rangel, who rents office space on 125th Street from the state Office of General Services, negotiated a sweetheart deal with state officials. They gave him a six-month reprieve and slashed his rate from $7,253 a month to $4,809.

Yet Rangel still hasn’t paid, owing 16 months of back rent, according to OGS statements and the most recent federal expense records.

Those records also show that all of the city’s congressional representatives paid rent every month last year.

“I don’t know how Charlie ran his budget,” said Rep. Peter King (R-LI). “We had the money to pay it and that’s all I can say.”

Even when the sequester debate was raging and immediately after its implementation in March 2013, Rep. Jerrold Nadler paid his $10,755 monthly rent. Rep. José Serrano also managed to pony up $10,779 a month.

The only members of the city delegation who fell behind in rent — Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Yvette Clarke — eventually made good within six months.

Rangel’s 2013 office budget of $1.2 million was the third-largest among the city’s congressional delegation. Some of this cash was used on items other than rent — $20,000 on travel, $18,500 on office supplies and $5,500 on making copies.

“We negotiated our rent to help loosen our belt, but it’s a very long and complicated process,” said Rangel spokeswoman Hannah Kim.

“The money allocated for the unpaid rent is in reserve and will be paid as soon as the new lease is approved under the House rules.”

The OGS refused to say who authorized Rangel’s rent break on the 3,054-square-foot office, and would not say whether the congressman paid the last quarterly invoice it sent out on April 1.