Congress Gets an Upgrade: $500 Million Slated for Purchase of Eight More Planes as Lawmakers' Travel

Source: WSJ

WASHINGTON -- Congress plans to spend $550 million to buy eight jets, a substantial upgrade to the fleet used by federal officials at a time when lawmakers have criticized the use of corporate jets by companies receiving taxpayer funds.

The purchases will help accommodate growing travel demand by congressional officials. The planes augment a fleet of about two dozen passenger jets maintained by the Air Force for lawmakers, administration officials and military chiefs to fly on government trips in the U.S. and abroad.

The congressional shopping list goes beyond what the Air Force had initially requested as part of its annual appropriations. The Pentagon sought to buy one Gulfstream V and one business-class equivalent of a Boeing 737 to replace aging planes. The Defense Department also asked to buy two additional 737s that were being leased.

Lawmakers in the House last week added funds to buy those planes, and plus funds to buy an additional two 737s and two Gulfstream V planes. The purchases must still be approved by the Senate. The Air Force version of the Gulfstream V each costs $66 million, according to the Department of Defense, and the 737s cost about $70 million.


Read more: $500 Million Slated for Purchase of Eight More Planes as Lawmakers' Travel Soars

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Nothing to see here.

:eyes:

You can't expect our Dukes and Duchesses to drive?

:mad: Scumbag crooks.

the elites are just trying to fuel the fire against congress


man if the media truly was liberal and used the same tactics, we could get so much done...

health care. Sometimes I can't believe they have two active neurons running around in their skulls.

for the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, damn the Congress.

The more perks these people get the further disconnected they are with the realities of their constituents. This needs to be voted down immediately. If Congress is serious when it comes to their phony outrage about budgetary items then they would strike this down immediately and negotiate as a group for lower airfares from regular airlines. Not political campaign donations, group negotiations on airfare discounts, not unlike what a union might do when providing benefits to their members.

Rp

and we are running a major surplus, or else this would look awfully irresponsible.

What's that? Oh dear. . .

yay

also a couple wars of aggression, military bases throughout the world, the largest prison population in the world--these things, we can afford. But not healthcare.

but these people MUST fly in style.