Mon, Aug 10, 2009
Overall Appropriation Request Has Swelled To $550 Million
It seems that
the $200 million appropriated by the House Armed Services
Committee for three Gulfstream C-37's
ANN reported last week was just the tip of the
iceberg. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Senate is
considering an appropriations bill that includes nearly $550
million for aircraft to transport government officials independent
of the commercial air system.
But the measure is also drawing bi-partisan opposition in the
Senate.
The Senate bill would appropriate money for eight Gulfstream and
Boeing jets as a plan to upgrade the fleet of aircraft used by the
military, and sometimes members of congress, for travel to areas
where commercial flight is difficult or even impossible. "It is
evidence that some of the cynicism about Washington is well placed
-- that people get out of touch and they spend money like it's
Monopoly money," Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said in an interview
Sunday.
The Obama Administration had originally requested $220 million
for 4 jets, the paper reported. Senators upped that to eight as
they were leaving Washington for their August recess, one of the
busiest travel periods for members of Congress.
Gulfstream C-37 File Photo
While many members say they will oppose the funding when debate
resumes in the fall, supporters of the purchase say the older
aircraft have to be replaced. "The key here is not whether or not
planes will be bought, it's when planes will be bought," said Ellis
Brachman, a spokesman for the House Appropriations Committee, the
panel that approved the spending. He said only about 15% of the Air
Force passenger flights include members of congress, and that the
planes are predominately used by the military.
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