Thread: House Buys $200M Jets for Lawmaker Travel

House Buys $200M Jets for Lawmaker Travel

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 11:48 AM

By: Jim Meyers

The House has approved nearly $200 million for the Air Force to buy three elite jets for transporting members of Congress and other top government officials.

The Air Force had requested one Gulfstream 550 jet, which cost about $65 million. But the House Appropriations Committee added another $132 million to the 2010 Defense appropriations bill for two more jets, and "specified that they be assigned to the D.C.-area units that carry Members of Congress, military brass and top government officials," Roll Call reported.

It was just last year that lawmakers sharply criticized the CEOs of the Big Three automakers for traveling to Washington by private jet for a hearing about a bailout of their companies.

The Gulfstream 550 is capable of flying long distances without refueling. The company's promotional materials say: "The cabin aboard the G550 combines productivity with exceptional comfort. It features up to four distinct living areas, three temperature zones, a choice of 12 floor plan configurations with seating for up to 18 passengers."

Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, told Roll Call that if Congress wants to buy new jets for the comfort of top government officials, "I think that all needs to be justified on the merits . . . Certainly, lawmakers can fly — and many do — coach and business class."

Source: Newsmax

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/hous ... 44219.html

What do you bet Pelosi had her fingers in that fiasco. I guess she got tired of the AF telling her no planes were available for her because they were fighting two wars.

People need to copy this and send it around America!
This is sickening!
Are the citizens the only ones on a budget?
They are spending OUR MONEY!!!!!!!!

I sent it to my state rep and I'm doing my Senators and Congressmen NOW.....

okay here is the scoop.
i just called the house appropriations committee.
the person who answered said these were getting purchased because the Fleet is between 15-20 years old, and they need to be replaced.
staffer said the cost of maintenance and the parts for the planes were getting harder to find and costing more.

staffer also said that the new planes are going to be used but the DoD some 90-95 percent of the time

Originally Posted by jamesw62

okay here is the scoop.
i just called the house appropriations committee.
the person who answered said these were getting purchased because the Fleet is between 15-20 years old, and they need to be replaced.
staffer said the cost of maintenance and the parts for the planes were getting harder to find and costing more.

staffer also said that the new planes are going to be used but the DoD some 90-95 percent of the time

AND YOU BELIEVE THEM????????????????

That's akin to asking your kid if they did something!

They are spinning because it got out early yesterday.........

Rightly or wrongly,
"Opposition Emerges to Multimillion-Dollar Plan to Buy Planes for Government Officials"
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08 ... officials/

Originally Posted by Texas2step

Rightly or wrongly,
"Opposition Emerges to Multimillion-Dollar Plan to Buy Planes for Government Officials"
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08 ... officials/

Now they've ordered 8 MORE planes in stead of 3!

Pentagon: Congressional Jets Hurt Defense

Saturday, August 8, 2009 1:06 PM

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/pent ... ode=8503-1



The Pentagon is criticizing the House of Representative's request to upgrade Congress' air fleet -- and charge the cost to the Defense Department.


"It forces us to take money from things we do need to fund and redirect it for things we don't need," Geoff Morrell, a spokesman for Defense Secretary Robert Gates, told the Wall Street Journal. "And in a time of war, we just can't afford that. The bottom line is, for everything that they appropriate for us above and beyond what we've asked for, it will, at some point require us to find money from programs we do need."


Lawmakers slipped the request into the Pentagon's proposed budget for 2010, insisting that Congress' current fleet of executive jets is old and more expensive to operate that newer, more efficient planes. They also say lawmakers use the jets only 14.5 percent of the time, compared to 44 percent usage by military members.


President Barack Obama sent Congress a Pentagon budget of $640.1 billion, which the House adjusted and scaled back to $636.3 billion. During that process, members requested $550 million to purchase eight passenger jets. Obama originally sought only $220 million to buy four planes.

THIS HAS BEEN CANCELLED

The new congressional jets may be getting scrapped.

After an uproar over a proposed purchase of new executive jets for use by senior government officials, including members of Congress, the top Defense appropriator in the House has offered to eliminate funding for the planes – but only if the Pentagon, which operates the jets, agrees.

“If the Department of Defense does not want these aircraft, they will be eliminated from the bill,â€

jamesw62 is right:

House Leaders Drop Plans to Buy Fancy Jets
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08 ... ancy-jets/

They cancelled it late last night. I was watching Greta when it was announced.

Suppose they thought it "didn't look good!" IDIOTS!!!

This is how they operate covertly in the dark and hope no one finds out...

Congress is a bunch of snakes we needs to vote out of office.