[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 23 (Wednesday, February 7, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H1311-H1313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       LIFT THE RESTRICTION ON MEMBER TRAVEL ON PERSONAL AIRCRAFT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to address 
the group today. I represent the southern district of New Mexico, New 
Mexico 2. I come with a chart today, and with a map of the district.
  Now, if you can visualize, I live all the way on the east side of the 
State, Hobbs, New Mexico. We are about 3 miles from the Texas border 
and represent all of the way to Arizona. Now, it is almost a 9- to 9\1/
2\-hour drive to come across to the Silver City area, and then if we 
have to go further north up into the Zuni area, it takes an additional 
2 to 3 hours.
  So each time I go home is a lot of miles. On a 3-day weekend, we have 
made up to 1,000 miles. On the 10-day breaks, we have been known to 
make up to 2,500 miles with events all of the way across. And then on 
our first 30-day break, our August break in my first year here, we had 
29 different motel rooms and about 6,500 miles that we made to cover 
this large district.
  Now, my particular approach today is to talk about a rule that the 
new majority put into place when we voted on January 4, 2007. I will 
read from those rules, House Resolution 6, section 207, rule 23, item 
15(a). A Member, Delegate or Resident Commissioner may not use personal 
funds, official funds or campaign funds for a flight on a nongovernment 
airplane that is not licensed by the FAA to operate for commission or 
hire.
  Now, in the FAA there are basically two categories of operating for 
hire. There is the category of airlines. Those operate under section 
121 of the FAA rules. The second section that is predominately used is 
section 135; that is, the charters. Those are the private aircraft that 
are used that you call, and

[[Page H1312]]

they are like a taxi. They show up so they are called air taxis or air 
charters.
  Now, these are the only two categories who live in the West, in these 
broad, sprawling districts. We all represent about 6- to 800,000 
people. That is determined by our districting process. So everybody 
represents the same number of people, but it requires a lot more ground 
for me to represent 600,000 people, so I have a small aircraft, a four-
place aircraft, single engine, that I use to fly around the district.
  Now, when it takes me 9 hours to drive across this district, I can 
make it in about 2\1/2\ in that small aircraft. That is about the size 
of a Volkswagen. If I get in, the ceiling is just barely above my head. 
My knees are touching. And if people get in the rear seats, their knees 
are absolutely up against us. So this is not like some limousine 
service.
  This is just basically a small aircraft with a 210 horsepower engine, 
very economical. I would use the same gallons of gas to fly across the 
district as I would to drive across it. But according to the rules that 
are adopted by the new majority, we cannot any longer use this. I 
cannot even pay for this out of my own pocket to serve the constituents 
of New Mexico. It is against the rules. I will be held in violation of 
House rules. And why they did it, I do not know. It affects as many 
people in their party as it does ours.
  Now, given that backdrop, it is very interesting to see that the 
Speaker of the House now wants a 42-place aircraft to transport her. 
She was given the access to a Lear jet-type aircraft that the former 
Speaker used, 12 seats, 5 crew members, and those are very comfortable, 
plush seats. But now then she is wanting a 42-person aircraft with a 
crew of 16.
  The cost of flying that aircraft is $22,000 per hour. The cost for 
her to round-trip back and forth to California is going to be an 
astounding $420,000. Now, we just voted for an omnibus where we took 
funds away from our military, and yet she is asking the military to not 
only take funds away from the troops, but also to fund this $420,000 
trip, presumably every weekend, because all of us try to go home every 
weekend.
  At the same time she has taken a constitutional provision for me to 
use my private property, to use my own funds, my own aircraft, and I 
cannot do that because she has made it against the rules.
  Now, we were told when the Democratic majority took over that there 
was going to be a new way of doing business, and we are finding out 
what that way of doing business is today. We are finding the 
willingness to limit people from using personal assets, while on the 
other hand reaching for these extraordinarily large perks.
  Madam Speaker, I would request unanimous consent to submit for the 
Record the actual words of the rule. Also I would like to submit for 
the Record the Washington Post article which brings out the 
observations about this new Speaker requesting these. It is dated 
February 6, 2007. And then I would like to submit for the Record the 
Lou Dobbs comments last night that she could take a circus with her. So 
we will submit those.

             H. Res. 6 Rules Restrictions on Members Travel

     SEC. 207. FURTHER LIMITATION ON THE USE OF FUNDS FOR TRAVEL.

       Rule XXIII is further amended by redesignating clause 15 
     (as earlier redesignated) as clause 16, and by inserting 
     after clause 14 the following new clause:
       15. (a) A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner may 
     not use personal funds, official funds, or campaign funds for 
     a flight on a nongovernmental airplane that is not licensed 
     by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate for 
     compensation or hire.
       ``(b) In this clause, the term `campaign funds' includes 
     funds of any political committee under the Federal Election 
     Campaign Act of 1971, without regard to whether the committee 
     is an authorized committee of the Member, Delegate, or 
     Resident Commissioner involved under such Act.''.
                                  ____


                        [From CNN, Feb. 5, 2007]

42 Business Class Seats, a Fully-Enclosed State Room, an Entertainment 
                                 Center

       Correspondent: ``It's clear skies for Nancy Pelosi. The 
     Pentagon is providing the House speaker with an Air Force 
     plane large enough to accommodate her staff, family, 
     supporters and members of the Californian delegation when she 
     travels around the country. . . .
       ``Pelosi wants routine access to a larger plane. It 
     includes 42 business class seats, a fully-enclosed state 
     room, an entertainment center, a private bed, state-of-the-
     art communications system and a crew of 16. . . .
       ``It would be 42 people, and clearly she won't be the only 
     one on this plane. She wants to have members of the 
     congressional delegation. And her critics will say, look, 
     this is a very nice perk that she can share with her 
     colleagues and use as leverage, should she need to.''
       LOU DOBBS: ``Well, it's really a fascinating thing: 42. She 
     could take a circus with her, for crying out loud.''
                                  ____


                [From the Washington Post, Feb. 6, 2007]

                  Pelosi Catches Nonstop Flights Home

       Amid rumblings from conservatives that she is seeking 
     special treatment, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) will 
     receive use of an Air Force jet larger than the one used by 
     her predecessor, Rep. J. Dennis Hastert, so she can fly 
     nonstop to her home in San Francisco.
       Ever since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the speaker, who is 
     next in line for the presidency after the vice president, has 
     been given use of a government plane for security reasons. 
     Hastert (R-Ill.), who had flown commercially before the 
     attacks, was the first to have use of a plane. But the one he 
     traveled in was too small to make it to California without 
     refueling.
       Yesterday, the House sergeant-at-arms issued a statement 
     saying that the leadership is awaiting word from the Air 
     Force on the rules for using the plane. It is unclear, for 
     example, who can travel with Pelosi and whether she can 
     return home from a political event on taxpayer-funded plane.
       Pelosi's office requested the guidelines, triggering a 
     story in the Washington Times in which sources questioned 
     whether she was asking for more than the former speaker 
     received.
       Democratic aides sputtered about a ``right-wing hatchet 
     job'' to make Pelosi look bad. But, said one involved in the 
     negotiations, ``this is about security, not about 
     convenience.''
       An aide in Hastert's office said yesterday that the former 
     speaker used the plane for official business but not for 
     political travel. He did at times transport his wife and 
     staff when he was flying to and from Illinois.
       Brendan Daley, a spokesman for Pelosi, said that she will 
     not use the plane for political travel.

                             [Feb. 5, 2007]

 Source: Standard Plane Not Big Enough for . . . Supporters and Other 
                                Members

       ``The Department of Defense offered Speaker Pelosi the same 
     aircraft'' as the one used by Hastert, said one senior 
     Republican who has spoken extensively with Defense Department 
     officials about Pelosi's requests. ``She found it was not big 
     enough for staff, supporters and other Members.''.
                                  ____


                   [From the Examiner, Feb. 5, 2007]

   Columnist: Speaker Nancy Pelosi Now Wants To Be Cut in on the Take

       ``Well, that didn't take long. After campaigning against 
     the `waste, fraud, and abuse' of the Bush administration, 
     House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now wants to be cut in on the 
     take.
       ``The woman who five months ago said, ``Democrats are 
     committed to a new direction in the way our government does 
     business so taxpayers' money is handled responsibly,'' is 
     dunning the White House to put an Air Force jet at her 
     disposal--reportedly, not only for her use, but for her 
     family's as well. . . .
       ``But all of this luxury doesn't come cheap. Hourly 
     operating costs for an Air Force C-32--the planes that 
     typically carry the vice president, the first lady, and 
     Cabinet officials--are about $15,000 an hour.
       ``So for one of those planes to fly the speaker home to San 
     Francisco, drop her off, and fly back and get her, would cost 
     taxpayers around $300,000--while round-trip commercial fares 
     start at $233. That doesn't qualify as ``waste and abuse''?
                                  ____


               [From the Washington Times, Feb. 5, 2007]

       Source: Pelosi Aides Pressing the Point of Her Succession

       ``The sources, who include those in Congress and in the 
     administration, said the Democrat is seeking regular military 
     flights not only for herself and her staff, but also for 
     relatives and for other members of the California delegation. 
     A knowledgeable source called the request `carte blanche for 
     an aircraft any time.'
       `` `They [Pelosi aides] are pressing the point of her 
     succession and that the [Department of Defense] needs to play 
     ball with the speaker's needs,' one source said. . . .
       ``U.S. Air Force travel for VIPs such as members of 
     Congress is first-rate. The planes are staffed with stewards 
     who serve meals and tend an open bar.''
                                  ____


                 [From Fox News Channel, Feb. 5, 2007]

  Pelosi Seeks Military Plane for Mere ``152-Mile Trip'' to Democrat 
                                Retreat

       ``Pelosi's office also inquired about a military plane for 
     the 152-mile trip to a Democratic party congressional 
     conference in Williamsburg, Virginia last week. No plane was 
     provided.''

[[Page H1313]]



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