[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 51 (Tuesday, May 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             DEFENSE DEPARTMENT ABUSES OF HELICOPTER TRAVEL

  (Mr. DUNCAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, it has now been reported that top military 
officials took 238 helicopter rides between the Pentagon and Andrews 
Air Force Base in the past year.
  Each trip cost from $1,000 up to $3,000, costing several hundred 
thousands altogether.
  What a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money.
  It is 14 miles from the Pentagon to Andrews. A cab ride would have 
cost $24--a military car, even less.
  Is someone embarrassed over this? No--not at all. On the ABC National 
News last night, there was even an attempt to justify it in the name of 
efficiency and training.
  Is someone going to lose his job? No, because people in unelected 
Federal positions can today get away with things that would cost them 
their jobs in the private sector.
  Unfortunately, we will continue to see similar abuses of power and 
wasteful expenditures throughout the Federal Government, for two 
reasons:
  First, our Government is simply too big, and there is almost no 
political control over it.
  Second, the Civil Service System protects and insulates bureaucrats 
so much that they cannot really be held accountable--even for terrible 
decisions.
  But, if these officials care at all about our taxpayers, they will 
cut out these overpriced joyrides immediately.

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