Seventy-five cents goes far in the press room on the US Capitol’s south side. Coca-Cola Original, Coke Zero, Cherry Coke Zero, Diet Coke. Toss in a Fresca, Sprite, or a Seagrams Ginger Ale, each for less than a dollar.

This is quite the deal. A 12-ounce can will set you back $2.15 at one of the CVS locations on Pennsylvania Avenue. At a Sunoco gas station on Ninth Street, the beverage costs $1.59. On Instacart, a single can could go for $2.89—that’s almost four press gallery Cokes!

This cheap Coca-Cola machine appears to be one of the best-kept secrets of the Capitol. Five journalists make up the Standing Committee of Correspondents , which oversees the press gallery. Gallery staffers said this group is in charge of setting prices, but the committee members did not answer multiple

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