Take off on a travel audit
So, now that you know how much your Senators and Representatives make, let’s keep in mind that many of them get to go on all-expenses-paid trips as well. The next section of the LegiStorm web site after “salaries” is “trips.”
User-friendly snooping
The trips section of the site is particularly convenient because it arranges the database into categories including Most-Traveled Members, Most Expensive Trips and Scandal Sheet.
Well, that makes it easy. I know which link I’m clicking on first!
Scandal sheet
“Following are a few trips that have attracted the attention of law enforcement officials,” it says at the top of the scandal sheet.
Three former representatives are in the scandal sheet right now. Former Ohio Representative Bob Ney admitted to lying about his activities while on a trip in Scotland. Turns out, by “gave a speech” and “visited parliament,” he meant “gambled” and “went golfing.” Check out this link to read the rest of the scandal sheet.
Most expensive trips
I would need to take out a huge personal loan to go on some of these government-funded trips. On top of the list is rep. Thomas Bliley’s year 2000 trip to London, which cost more than $31,000.
The very next trip on the list is described as a “fact-finding mission.” These vaguely identified excursions have become the subject of much scrutiny lately. Well, in 2002 the Bush administration spent nearly $30,000 for Rep. Robert Wexler to find facts in Kazakhstan.
Frequent flyers
The number of trips a member of Congress has taken does, of course, correlate somewhat with number of years in office. Turns out U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is quite the traveler. He has taken 74 trips since 2000.
The win for most trips, though, goes to deceased Ohio Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She took 92 trips between January 2000 and September 2008. The last place she traveled was Tunica, Miss., and her trip was sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus.
Oh, man. “Fact finding missions.” Well, I guess a fact finding mission to Kazakhstan is less suspect than a fact finding mission to Barbados or Bora Bora. That said, I doubt that there aren’t a few corners that could have been cut. I have a creative punishment for Bob Ney. Since he loves going to Scotland so much, we’ll have him called up to the Scottish Rugby team for their next match against England. I figure one half would be punishment enough.