Spending on Taxpayer-Funded Trips Rises Tenfold; From Italy to the Galápagos

WASHINGTON — Spending by lawmakers on taxpayer-financed trips abroad has risen sharply in recent years, a Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records shows, involving everything from war-zone visits to trips to exotic spots such as the Galápagos Islands.

The spending on overseas travel is up almost tenfold since 1995, and has nearly tripled since 2001, according to the Journal analysis of 60,000 travel records. Hundreds of lawmakers traveled overseas in 2008 at a cost of about $13 million. That’s a 50% jump since Democrats took control of Congress two years ago.

The cost of as “codelso-called congressional delegations, known among lawmakers s,” has risen nearly 70% since 2005, when an influence-peddling scandal led to a ban on travel funded by lobbyists, according to the data.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (left) and Sen. Richard Shelby in June on a river cruise in Paris, where U.S. politicians met with defense-industry executives.

At Taxpayer Expense!  How does a Paris River Cruise and Trip help America?  How does this keep corruption out of our Congress?   It doesn’t.   Then you wonder how they don’t listen to you the citizen they are to protect!

Lawmakers say that the trips are a good use of government funds because they allow members of Congress and their staff members to learn more about the world, inspect U.S. assets abroad and forge better working relationships with each other. The travel, for example, includes official visits to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Journal analysis, based on information published in the Congressional Record, also shows that taxpayer-funded travel is a big and growing perk for lawmakers and their families. Some members of Congress have complained in recent months about chief executives of bailed-out banks, insurance companies and car makers who sponsored corporate trips to resorts or used corporate jets for their own travel.

Hypocrites!  How is this right and what AIG, GM, Banks etc do was wrong when they are doing the same things when they don’t even know how America is going to pay for this?????

Although complete travel records aren’t yet available for 2009, it appears that such costs continue to rise. The Journal analysis shows that the government has picked up the tab for travel to destinations such as Jamaica, the Virgin Islands and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Lawmakers frequently bring along spouses on congressional trips. If they take commercial flights, they have to buy tickets for spouses. If they fly on government planes — as they usually do — their spouses can fly free.

Paris Air Show

In mid-June, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D., Hawaii) led a group of a half-dozen senators and their spouses on a four-day trip to France for the biennial Paris Air Show. An itinerary for the event shows that lawmakers flew on the Air Force’s version of the Boeing 737, which costs $5,700 an hour to operate. They stayed at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel, which advertises rooms from $460 a night.

This is excessive and unacceptable!  This is not what we pay them to do to go globetrotting all over the world getting to know each other.  Do what everyone else does!  Have a picnic in a park and bring a dish to pass and play horseshoes or baseball!  This is on your own time at your own expense.  Not the Taxpayers!

 

The lawmakers were invited to a dinner party at the U.S. Embassy and had cocktails at a private party at the Eiffel Tower. Mr. Inouye attended a dinner sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, a U.S. trade group. Another senator on the trip, Alabama Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, took a cruise on the River Seine with defense-industry executives and elected officials from Alabama, Mississippi and Florida

Mmm how romantic!  I paid for them to go on these little excursions that costs thousands of dollars and what did they accomplish but to get a free ride on a trip to Paris!  Oh boy!  When do I get to go?  Oh wait the taxpayer wasn’t invited, but they get to pay for it!

Mr. Inouye and Mr. Shelby declined to comment.  (I wonder why?  Because they are selfish self center idiots who know they did wrong and didn’t get away with it!  TOO BAD!  PAY THE MONEY BACK IT WASN’T YOURS TO SPEND!)

Often, lawmakers combine trips to war zones with visits to more tranquil spots. In February, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a delegation of Democratic lawmakers to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan for a day. Before landing in Kabul, the eight lawmakers and their entourage of spouses and aides spent eight days in Italy, spending $57,697 on hotels and meals.

So America ran out of money April the 16th of 2009 and we spent $57,697 for a trip to Italy for a one day trip to see the Troops.  Excuse me it doesn’t equal out to even close to balance.  PAY IT BACK! 

A spokesman for Ms. Pelosi says that she was working in Italy, meeting with U.S. troops at Aviano Air Base, laying a wreath at the Florence American Cemetery, giving a speech to Italian lawmakers and visiting the Pope, among other things.

Ms. Pelosi you work for the United States of America!  You have no business being in other countries doing any business.  You are a lawmaker for the United States House of Representatives.  Laying a wreath, giving speeches in Italy and seeing the Pope are not in your job description according to the U.S Constitution!

Homeland Security

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D., Miss.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, led a group to Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Panama. “This trip further solidified the message that homeland security does not begin or end at our borders,” says Mr. Thompson’s spokeswoman.

 

Excuse me, not at our borders, it is in your title…. HOMELAND, that means the United States of America!  Not Brazil, Not Argentina, Not Peru, Not Panama!  They are not US Territories and you have no business being there in your job description.  Your job description is pretty simple.  Security in the Homeland hence the title Homeland Security!

Many congressional trips have been to Iraq or Afghanistan. In 2008, lawmakers and aides took 113 trips to Iraq, according to the Journal analysis, down slightly from the prior year. Not much money is spent in the war zones. Lawmakers are not allowed to stay overnight in Iraq and receive only minimal spending allowances for their one-day visits.

In mid-February, for example, six House lawmakers traveled to Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain and Afghanistan. Each lawmaker reported spending $1,500 on hotels and meals in Kuwait, $400 in Bahrain, and $25 in Afghanistan. They reported no expenses in Iraq.

Scores of lawmakers are spending this week abroad on taxpayer-funded trips. Congressional offices say they won’t release details of the trips for security reasons. Disclosure rules require lawmakers to print some information about their taxpayer-funded travel in the Congressional Record within 30 days of returning home.

Security Reasons…. they don’t want to tell anyone they go to Iraq for one day and seven days in Italy.  Sorry don’t buy it.  Not acceptable. 

Congressional Fleet

The congressional trips are possible thanks in part to an unlimited fund created by a three-decade old law. Nearly two dozen government officials work full-time organizing the trips. Much of the costs are not made public, including the cost of flying on government jets. The Air Force maintains a fleet of 16 passenger planes for use by lawmakers.

It is about time for transparency and now!  You can’t go on telling business people that they can’t go to spas, hotels, fly on jets when you are doing much worse by jetting all over the world on my dime.  You are hypocrits!  This practice must stop.  Oh by the way, if the Air Force is keeping a fleet of planes for Lawmakers, they need to park them or use them to protect the United States.  They are not a taxi service by any means.  Get on a flight by Delta or some other commercial service and take your own wallet out and pay for the trip yourself.  It is not my responsibility to pay for your trip when millions are losing their jobs daily.  When we are borrowing money from China and other countries to pay for this.  This is EXCESSIVE AND UNACCEPTABLE!

Documents obtained by the Journal show that the cost of flying a small group of lawmakers to the Middle East is about $150,000. Larger trips on the Air Force’s version of the Boeing 757 cost about $12,000 an hour.

Two federal agencies pay for most of the travel — the Defense Department and the State Department.

Why is this Excess going on with no one speaking up.  Wait it is for their own benefit and they are above the law and above the people and think we owe them.  Let me speak very clearly.  YOU WORK FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!  WE DON’T WORK FOR YOU!! You have this backwards as usual!  No where in the US Constitution which you swore to uphold does it say you can do this.  If it does please by all means show it to the American People.  We’d like to know!

Exotic Locales

In October, Rep. Bud Cramer (R., Ala.) spent two weeks in Europe on government business. Reports show that Mr. Cramer spent $5,700 on hotels, meals and incidentals. Mr. Cramer wasn’t running for re-election and left office just two months later.

“Knowing that I was leaving with my 18 years of seniority, I wanted to conclude some issues that I was working on,” Mr. Cramer said. He now works for a lobbying firm in Washington.

Sorry don’t buy that one either!  Do you think the American people are that stupid to believe such rhetoric as that!  Please!  PAY IT BACK!  America needs the money.  Have you heard the news? 

 

 

 

 

Last summer, Rep. Brian Baird (D., Wash.) took a four-day trip to the Galápagos Islands with his wife, four other lawmakers and their family members. The lawmakers spent $22,000 on meals and hotels, records show. Mr. Baird, a member of the House Science Committee, said the trip was to learn about global warming.

Sorry don’t buy that one either!  Do you think the American people are that stupid to believe such rhetoric as that!  Please!  PAY IT BACK!  America needs the money.  Have you heard the news? 

On the first day, lawmakers toured a breeding center for giant tortoise and land iguanas before dining with scientists, according to an itinerary for the trip. The next morning, lawmakers headed to the Galápagos National Park while their family members had the option of hiking, swimming or shopping. That afternoon, the group boarded a boat to visit a sea-lion colony and search for white-tip sharks.

Mr. Baird didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Write to Brody Mullins at brody.mullins@wsj.com

and T.W. Farnam at timothy.farnam@wsj.com

wsj.com JULY 2, 2009.