INVESTIGATION
11
Cornyn, Schumer Travel in High Style
Senators use more taxpayer dollars than any other lawmakers
By Kevin Spak
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Posted Jun 11, 09 11:10 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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Senators John Cornyn and Chuck Schumer have done a lot of jet-setting on the company dime, Politico reports. Each has spent more than $140,000 on travel this year alone, as much as 10 times what some colleagues spend. Cornyn, a Republican, racked up the biggest bill, which included the tab for taking 59 staffers on a $38,000 Maryland retreat. He also routinely takes pricey, multi-city charter flights through Texas.
Schumer, meanwhile, routinely took charter flights to New York, even when commercial flights were available. The senators say the charter flights let them efficiently visit their states’ disparate districts. But other big-state legislators have managed to be more frugal—Cornyn’s fellow Texan Kay Bailey Hutchison spent $88,000, half Cornyn’s total. They’re not the only big spenders, either: Others over $100,000 include Patty Murray, Bob Corker, and Kit Bond.