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Newsjock

(11,733 posts)
Tue Dec 16, 2014, 09:52 PM Dec 2014

Russian 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

Sergey V. Lavrov, the foreign minister, told France 24 ... there were “very serious reasons to believe” that the United States was pursuing a regime change strategy to topple Mr. Putin’s government, and he denigrated American lawmakers. “If you look at U.S. Congress, 80 percent of them have never left the U.S.A., so I’m not surprised about Russophobia in Congress,” Mr. Lavrov said.


True? Not true? Has this actually been researched?
9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Russian claim: 80% of U.S. Congress has never left the USA (Original Post) Newsjock Dec 2014 OP
they do junkets so i doubt it elehhhhna Dec 2014 #1
I am sure not true Duckhunter935 Dec 2014 #2
Right wing myth spread by Gringrich. joshcryer Dec 2014 #3
Good info Newsjock Dec 2014 #7
I suspect they're basing it on junket data. joshcryer Dec 2014 #9
"In USSR, country leaves YOU !" GreatGazoo Dec 2014 #4
64% of the US has never left the US. It would surprise me if the % for Congress was higher Recursion Dec 2014 #5
One of my sisters was married to a man whose mother had malaise Dec 2014 #6
I wish 80% of them would leave permanently. Gidney N Cloyd Dec 2014 #8
 

elehhhhna

(32,076 posts)
1. they do junkets so i doubt it
Tue Dec 16, 2014, 09:55 PM
Dec 2014

Also the ruble crashed today. Putin failed Russia and will be looking to further distract.

joshcryer

(62,265 posts)
3. Right wing myth spread by Gringrich.
Tue Dec 16, 2014, 09:59 PM
Dec 2014
This portrait of Congress, especially the House of Representatives, as an inward-looking institution grew largely out of the Republican revolution of 1994 led by Newt Gingrich. It was a reputation that took hold quickly and was cemented early this year when Dick Armey of Texas, the House majority leader, declared that ''a shockingly large number of American members of Congress don't hold a passport.''

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)
7. Good info
Tue Dec 16, 2014, 10:19 PM
Dec 2014

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)
9. I suspect they're basing it on junket data.
Tue Dec 16, 2014, 10:30 PM
Dec 2014

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.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
5. 64% of the US has never left the US. It would surprise me if the % for Congress was higher
Tue Dec 16, 2014, 10:03 PM
Dec 2014

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)
6. One of my sisters was married to a man whose mother had
Tue Dec 16, 2014, 10:10 PM
Dec 2014

never left her state until her son moved to another state with my sis.

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