Ahh, I can remember when Democrats raised hell about congressional travel back in 2005… Every single trip taken by Republicans was criticized. It was just the beginning of a storm that lead member of both parties scrambling to get their paperwork in order, and these junkets were largely curbed for a short while.
Back in the majority, Democrats have not only gone back to their globe-trotting ways, they are traveling at the taxpayers’ expense this time.
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.
Truth be told, Republicans are taking these trips, too. But, it was these kind of trips, though funded by lobbyists and non-profits, that had Democrats either crying foul at Republicans for taking part in them, or excusing their own trips, saying “At least it isn’t the taxpayers paying for the trips.”
The storm they caused starting in 2005 ultimately lead to Mark and I writing Caucus of Corruption. That said, this newfound acceptance of travel on our dime wasn’t unexpected. The question is, why, after Democrats said they’d conduct themselves more openly, honestly, and ethically, have actually done the opposite. I think we all know why.
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