Topeka ? Six months into his first term in Congress, Rep. Mike Pompeo spent more on employee salaries than Kansas’ other members in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Pompeo’s total was $5,000 more than the $414,000 paid to staff in the first half of 2011 by Rep. Lynn Jenkins.

Rep. Kevin Yoder, a Republican from Johnson County, handed out the smallest amount in paychecks among the state’s House members. His six-month total of $310,000 was less than the $364,000 spent by another Kansas freshman, Rep. Tim Huelskamp.

Pompeo’s spokeswoman Rachel Taylor said Pompeo voted twice to reduce the amount allocated to each member for office expenditures and that his staff’s expenses “reflect the hefty workload and the caliber of work product” that Pompeo expects.