Topline: Members of the House of Representatives spent $38 million on taxpayer-funded travel between January 2023 and March 2024, according to an analysis of the House Statement of Disbursements by the research group OpenSecrets.
Key facts: The average House Republican spent $102,000 on travel, for a total of over $23 million, while Democrats spent $70,000 on average and $15 million in total.
Lawmakers can use their office budgets on airfare and car rentals as well as food, hotels, Wi-Fi and other expenses.
Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) singlehandedly spent $380,000 on travel, almost $100,000 more than any other House member.
OpenSecrets noted that Gooden has been spotted at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and at a meat boutique in Israel. His office did not return OpenSecrets’ request for comment.
Democratic Rep. Gregorio Sablan, a non-voting member, was the second-biggest spender. His office budget pays for staff to travel to his home district in the Northern Mariana Islands — 8,000 miles away from Washington D.C. — “to keep our work as relevant and informed as possible,” his chief of staff told OpenSecrets.
Eight of the top 10 spenders were Republicans.
Besides travel, House members use their $1.45 million office budgets to pay staffers, send mail to constituents and much more.
Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com.
Background: The travel spending numbers are a reminder of the lack of transparency that surrounds federal lawmakers’ spending.
The House publishes statements of disbursements every quarter, but they’re often not detailed enough to help constituents identify potential misuse of funds and hold their officials accountable. Politicians are not required to list destinations or travel methods for their transport expenses.
And under new rules passed with bipartisan support last July, House members can bill taxpayers for food and housing expenses without any receipts — just the honor system. That cost $5.2 million last year, according to The Washington Post.
Summary: Taxpayers often complain that Washington politicians get nothing done. As long as that’s the case, they shouldn’t be spending $38 million to fly away from the Capitol.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com
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