Expeditious Travel Enables Senator's Presence At Wake, Funeral - And In Congress

In an inadvertent illustration of the practical advantages of non-airline flight -- the very method of corporate travel now condemned by the White House and many lawmakers, it's worth pointing out -- a US senator was provided with the use of a government plane by the Obama administration to commute between Washington, DC and his home in Ohio.

Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, recently lost his 88-year-old mother to complications from leukemia. He returned home to attend his mother's wake and funeral, with one hitch -- he needed to be in Washington DC on Friday evening to cast his "yea" vote on the $787 billion economic stimulus package.

The White House allowed use of the plane for "official business," since there were no available commercial flights that would enable Senator Brown to both pay his respects to the dearly departed and cast what was expected to be a deciding vote on legislation that has been Obama's pet project throughout his first three weeks in office.

A White House official told CNN, "Given that no commercial flights were available that would allow Senator Brown to make the vote and to attend services memorializing his mother, the administration provided government transportation to ensure that he could do so."

The importance of the vote seemed to be an overriding factor in the decision. "Taking immediate action to save or create 3.5 million jobs and get America's economy moving again is a top priority for Ohio and the nation," the spokesperson said.

Although the plane used was described to be a "small government plane," the official stated "it will be a higher cost than if he were flying commercial." Brown planned to return to Ohio Saturday morning for the funeral.

ANN sends condolences to the Senator and the entire Brown family.

FMI: www.senate.gov