[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.''

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