“Congress should be held accountable to the people they serve – not to special interests”
San Diego– After the House of Representatives quietly ended the practice of requiring Members to disclose free travel that they receive from outside groups – often to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars or more per trip – Congressional candidate Carl DeMaio blasted the behavior.
“By hiding the luxury trips that Members of Congress are taking from outside groups, Congress is showing complete disregard for transparency and openness,” said DeMaio. “This lack of transparency is appalling,” DeMaio concluded.
When he was on the City Council, DeMaio had a self-imposed ban on free gifts and free travel, further demonstrating his leadership by example – and makes it a key point in his Fix Congress First initiative. A major part of the Fix Congress First initiative would ban all outside travel by Members of Congress, and require approval before any official travel could take place.
“Instead of having Members of Congress flying First Class to international locations, our Members should be focused on fixing our problems at home,” DeMaio said. “By hiding the fact that Members take these trips, it’s further evidence that shows it’s time to shake up the way Congress conducts business,” DeMaio concluded.
###
Background:
National Journal: Congress Quietly Deletes a Key Disclosure of Free Trips Lawmakers Take