Spending $550 million on new jets for Congress? Priceless

These are the same lawmakers who pummeled Wall Street executives when they "testified" before Congress, excoriating them for taking bonuses while Americans were losing their jobs and their homes amid the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Now, with 14 million Americans still out of work, Congress is seeking $550 million for eight new aircraft that would increase the fleet the Air Force uses to ferry senators and representatives to war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan as well less dangerous locations like London, Paris and the Galapagos.

No question, congressional travel is on the upswing. Overseas trips by lawmakers has increased almost tenfold since 1995. Last year, members of Congress spent $13 million in travel expenses, not counting airfare. So the Obama administration requested $220 million in its budget to buy four passenger jets for congressional use, including two that are currently being leased by the Air Force.

For some reason, the House Appropriations Committee thought that wasn't enough. So just before lawmakers left for August recess, the House doubled the order to eight aircraft, at a cost of $550 million.

With the measure on its way to the Senate, opposition there is mounting.

"The whole thing kind of makes me sick to my stomach," Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill told the Wall Street Journal. "It is evidence that some of the cynicism about Washington is well placed -- that people get out of touch and they spend money like it's Monopoly money."

Republican John McCain, the maverick Arizona senator who has made a career of fighting pork barrel projects, is also said to be opposing the appropriation. He leaves soon with other senators on a week-long trip to Libya, Kuwait, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Iceland.

The uproar is partly of their own making. In 2007, with Democrats newly in control of both the Senate and the House, Congress passed S. 1, the "Honest Leadership, Open Government Act." Cracking down on lobbyist gifts and tightening ethics procedures, the bill also created an online, searchable public database of lawmakers' travel and personal financial disclosure forms.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo credit: Getty Images

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Comments

[Joe McGuckin]

Congress has created this screwed-up air transportation system that they don't even participate in, since they seem to have their own private airline.

The only *fair* policy would be for Pelosi and other vips to be forced to fly commercial just like the rest of us.

I wonder how long it would take for the more moronic TSA policies to be eliminated when the senior members of congress have to start stripping down at the checkpoints?

[Peter]

I was going to say that it's a little different than the car companies. But on second thought, no it's not different. The car companies failed miserably at running their co's and the congress failed miserably at running our country and its our money. Then I thought, "well they have to take trips.", but "no" they don't. They should remain in their seat and fix this country before they go anywhere else.

[Robert NO longer in LA]

Getting ready to fly to Switzerland and make some big deposits at UBS, now that TAX DODGING is SANCTIFIED by the US Congress. Notice how Obama's administration is bringing 'change'?

[Craig Brubaker]

Wonderful! Where is my bail out money Mr. President? been aid off for six months with two kids and a sick wife. No health insurance in about two months and cant get a job, unless you want me to work at McDonald's as an engineer, or may be I can work in Washington! It seems that is where all the money being spent. I dare to respond Mr. Obama

[Robert NO longer in LA]

Now that UBS is NOT revealing ALL the Party Faithful tax dodgers, the Party Leadership needs bigger jets to haul their undeclared $$$$$$$$$ to Switzerland.

[Big Jim Slade]

Hey, you voted for 'em. What exactly did you expect?

[J.D.]

I'm for it--if the flights are one way.

[dalaba]

Hey, you voted for 'em. What exactly did you expect??

[misleading...]

is Congress not mainly made up of Republicans while the house and senate are democrats? If so, then your article is misleading in that you are trying to blame this excessive spending on Democrats and not the republicans who spent all the money on the war and military companies prior to the election of Obama... I'm anxious for your guys to have another civil war so you can stop all the bickering and be done with it. The left is in charge and are trying to do something and the right are whining because they lost. Plain and simple.

[Bob]

"Republican John McCain, the maverick Arizona senator who has made a career of fighting pork barrel projects"

What?