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Congress's Travel Tab Swells - Spending on Taxpayer-Funded T

Wall Street Journal -- 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 so-called congressional delegations, known among lawmakers as "codels," has risen nearly 70% since 2005, when an influence-peddling scandal led to a ban on travel funded by lobbyists, according to the data.

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Submitted Jul 02, 2009 By: REDROCKER55

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LeeFree Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:4,380 Points:1,291,625 Joined:Jun 2005	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:46:27 PM Ignore LeeFree Report Abuse Much to the public's disappointment, no matter who gets elected there's going to be abuse. It's all a matter of how much and who gets caught.
JerryBx7 Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:2,616 Points:507,670 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:45:10 PM Ignore JerryBx7 Report Abuse "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." I don't care who goes on the trip, the cost per hour of flight doesn't change that much because of extra weight that is a real non-player. As a retired USAF member, you add 6,000 lbs of passengers and baggage, you aren't increasing fuel consumption. Let's just focus on hotels and meals if, we are going to to focus and anythig for 8 days. That is $7212 dollars a day. Vote for change, you get change.
ckyle494 Rookie Author Knoxville Posts:71 Points:174,685 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:44:43 PM Ignore ckyle494 Report Abuse Can't they all get a flight together and go as a group. (FORD, GM and CHRYSLER did) I guess what is good for the Gooberment is not good for the gathered masses.
maris1066 All-Star Author Nevada Posts:524 Points:197,200 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:41:52 PM Ignore maris1066 Report Abuse Hopefully, the left wing members used alternative fuel sources and hybrid cars to get around.
Bear_Johnson Champion Author London Posts:1,402 Points:484,725 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:37:41 PM Ignore Bear_Johnson Report Abuse What ever happened to government for the people (or was that an illusion all along?)
DellDude2 Champion Author Nashville Posts:3,979 Points:1,148,685 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:31:46 PM Ignore DellDude2 Report Abuse Democrats are good at wasting the taxpayers money, isn't that right Woodbanksgasguy. Whoops, now we're in for a lecture from the Nutty Professor how liberals know better how to spend our money than we do.
BurntOrange Champion Author Austin Posts:2,524 Points:614,815 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:23:40 PM Ignore BurntOrange Report Abuse "Spending by lawmakers on taxpayer-financed trips abroad has risen sharply in recent years" For all the complaining about Republians, this coincides with the Democrats taking over Congress. Coincidence?
rocket_up Champion Author Albuquerque Posts:1,365 Points:328,335 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:21:31 PM Ignore rocket_up Report Abuse It't the fox guarding the hen house!
Cheepo Champion Author Tampa Posts:5,059 Points:2,176,165 Joined:Apr 2003	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:19:25 PM Ignore Cheepo Report Abuse Throw the bums out, all of them, democrats or republicans!!!
Tucker1961 Sophomore Author Seattle Posts:202 Points:21,125 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:18:36 PM Ignore Tucker1961 Report Abuse Everything is great if you are spending someone elses money
Chris46 Champion Author Dayton Posts:11,012 Points:1,246,340 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:17:13 PM Ignore Chris46 Report Abuse I thought the Democrats were good guys! Not always true, I see!
FLURVAL All-Star Author Michigan Posts:937 Points:198,460 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Jul 2, 2009 3:09:29 PM Ignore FLURVAL Report Abuse Hey, these congress people have to have place to have illicit affairs so their spouses and constituants don't find out to easy. They still e-mail love sonats back and forth though.