[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20982]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         COST TO TAXPAYERS OF PRESIDENT BUSH'S CAMPAIGN TRAVEL

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, at the same time President Bush is telling 
us that because of severe budget constraints there is no money for 
important programs, he, Vice President Cheney, and other members of the 
administration are spending taxpayer dollars to jet around the country 
for political fundraisers and campaign events.
  Many people wonder why President Bush is traveling around the country 
so much for political reasons, to give political speeches regarding 
political candidates, when our Nation is at war on terrorism and we are 
facing what he called an imminent and serious threat to our national 
security posed by Iraq.
  Many people believe it is improper for President Bush to be racing 
from one campaign event to another--raising record amounts of campaign 
cash for Republican candidates--instead of spending time solving 
America's severe economic problems. I agree with them.
  I, too, wish the President would focus on the issues that we in 
Nevada--and I believe all Americans--are concerned about, such as jobs, 
Social Security, pension protection, corporate scandals, stock market 
declines, high cost of health care, access to affordable quality 
education, and other priorities.
  I understand that President Bush has a role. He is not only the 
Commander in Chief, but also the Republican Party's cheerleader in 
chief. I understand and accept that. What I don't accept is this 
constant campaigning being paid for by taxpayers. If he decides to 
campaign 100 percent of the time for Republican House and Senate 
candidates, or gubernatorial candidates, whatever he chooses, that is 
his business. But it should not be at the expense of taxpayers in 
Nevada and in other places. That is what it is. Flying this corporate 
entourage around is very expensive, whether it is the President or Vice 
President. Flying that big jet--I am glad the President has it, and I 
was here when we paid for it for President Reagan. It is important they 
have that airplane, but it should be for the business of the people, 
not for the business of the Republican Party or the Democratic Party.
  I wrote to Mitch Daniels and said I want to know how much this costs. 
Of course, I received no answer. I guess the letter is in the mail. It 
has been weeks. So I have asked the General Accounting Office to find 
out. The Vice President met with them during the establishment of a so-
called national energy policy, and they even took the GAO to court so 
they would not have to disclose who they met with, when, or what they 
talked about. The courts will decide that. We are going to find out how 
much this cost. It should not be paid for by taxpayers. It should be 
paid for by the Republican National Committee, or whatever Republican 
arm they believe should pay for it.
  If we have a Democratic President, the same thing should apply. But 
this has to stop. People have a right, if they are President, to make 
campaign speeches, but they should be paid for by their political 
parties, political fundraisers; but the President seems to be devoting 
an excessive amount of time on these activities. He has scheduled the 
last 14 consecutive days for campaign travels, every day from next 
Monday to the election on Tuesday. The taxpayers are paying for that. 
That is wrong. They have a little program where they have incidental 
expenses paid for by the local people--maybe extra police or something. 
But that won't do the trick. That is not right, fair, or equitable.
  I think that rather than spending--this is my personal opinion--14 
days on the campaign trail, he should be spending 14 days trying to do 
something about this economy, which is stumbling, staggering, 
faltering. That is what he should be doing. Given the amount of staff 
and transportation resources required for Presidential travel, the 
President's fundraising trips are costing the taxpayers not a few 
hundred dollars or a few thousand dollars but millions of dollars.
  Why should the taxpayers foot the bill for that? They should not. The 
scheduling of these trips is largely driven by the administration's 
political agenda of electing more Republicans. Mr. President, I repeat: 
If he wants to spend 24 hours a day campaigning, he is the President 
and he can do that. I think it is wrong, but he has that right. It 
should not be paid for by taxpayers.
  President Bush pledged that his administration would do business 
differently, that there would be a new atmosphere in Washington. I 
would think that spending taxpayer money on political campaigning and 
fundraising is the type of frivolous spending he vowed to curb. 
According to newspaper articles and TV reports, the President has 
traveled more to political fundraisers than any past President.
  On September 26, almost 3 weeks ago, I sent a letter to Mitch 
Daniels. No answer. I have asked the GAO to investigate the President's 
campaign travel, including the expenses charged to the taxpayers. The 
President said he wanted to change the atmosphere in Washington. The 
American people took him at his word. They didn't realize it would 
change for the worse. This is an example. I think it is wrong.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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