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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRussian claim: 80% of U.S. Congress has never left the USA
Quoted in this NYT story about sanctions:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/17/world/europe/obama-signing-russia-ukraine-sanctions-bill.html
True? Not true? Has this actually been researched?
elehhhhna
(32,076 posts)Also the ruble crashed today. Putin failed Russia and will be looking to further distract.
Duckhunter935
(16,974 posts)between junkets, business travel and vacations
joshcryer
(62,265 posts)But a survey by The New York Times contradicts this. The vast majority of members -- 93 percent -- hold passports and use them, traveling overseas at least twice a year on trips that are largely business with some pleasure. Nearly one-third of the legislators have studied or worked abroad, and one in five claims to speak a foreign language well enough to conduct business beyond America's borders.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/04/world/insular-congress-appears-to-be-myth.html
That seems to also include personal travel, however.
This site has Congress-paid travel expenditures, which yes, the US is the most common destination (probably congress people going back to their districts a few times a year and back to DC): http://www.legistorm.com/trip.html
Newsjock
(11,733 posts)Thanks. I can't imagine it's changed all that much since then.
It's also surprising that the NYT let this claim into print today without either refuting or confirming it.
joshcryer
(62,265 posts)ie, official congressional business. Obviously that wouldn't include private trips. They get in trouble for using the official junket fund (paid for travel expenses) for personal vacations and stuff. And they make enough money or are already rich when they go to congress that it shouldn't matter.
GreatGazoo
(3,937 posts)Recursion
(56,582 posts)Given that
A. Congresscritters have opportunities for official international travel, and
B. Congresscritters are, in general, coming from the richest 15% of the US (who are more likely to travel)
Though as it stands only about 40% of the US even has a passport right now (though until the last decade you didn't need one for the most popular international destinations).
malaise
(267,823 posts)never left her state until her son moved to another state with my sis.