Senate Majority Leader Backtracks on Private Jet Travel, Offers Reforms
EmailIn an unexpected move, new Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., himself one of the Senate’s most frequent corporate fliers, has proposed to toughen the rules on the use of private jets. "To the American public, flying around on these aircraft appears to be wrong. We need to answer the public’s call for change," he said. Reid’s strong position to restrict private jet travel was unexpected. On Monday, Reid’s office told ABC News the majority leader was "open to new ideas on the issue" but was concerned about strengthening the rules because of "unintended consequences for senators from large states where regular commercial traffic to rural areas is infrequent." THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS Reid, Lott Top Senate List of Corporate Frequent Fliers Video Reid Calls for High-Flying Reforms Credit Cards and Secret Prisons on Senate Agenda Click Here to Check Out the Latest Brian Ross Webcast But when he took the Senate floor to offer his amendment requiring senators to pay the full charter price for rides on corporate jets instead of the discount now allowed, Reid used strong language and referred to his own frequent trips. "These reforms are not aimed at any particular lawmakers," he said. "I’ve traveled on private airplanes a lot over the years. They are designed to remove even the appearance of impropriety of this Congress." Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage. Reid continued, "We all remember the scandals making headlines across America a year ago. Newspapers were filled with the stories of lawmakers being flown around the world for rounds of golf, of corrupt lobbyists milking their clients for millions of dollars and of top congressional staff being wined and dined." Despite the tough talk, however, Reid’s proposal still falls short of the outright ban on private jet travel included in the new House ethics rules passed last week and indicates there is still much disagreement among Senate members on reforming travel rules. Watch Sen. Reid speak to this issue on the Senate floor.
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HELP! I can’t control myself! Someone rein in my GREED! It’s not MY fault I throw myself to the highest bidder. We need more laws! And I’m just the man to create them! I’m the EXPERT! It’s not my fault I’m greedy, there just aren’t anys law out there to stop me.
Sry, gtg, Jack’s having a special party. And none of you are invited :P
Posted by: HarryGRied | January 10, 2007, 12:31 pm 12:31 pm
If congress can’t even govern themselves how can they lead a country?
Posted by: skidog | January 10, 2007, 2:42 pm 2:42 pm
I am Senator So n So….we HAVE to make all our trips and expenses look honest and fair…”pass the caviar and champainge please”. We cannot allow ourselves to be mis-managing the public trust… “is the limo on standy-by?”. I propose new legislation that would force each public servant to (ooohhh…caviar)…to..uhhh…. What? My times up? Ok…we will finish this discussion at my resort in Palm Beach. Last one there has to buy the gas.
Posted by: Mike | January 10, 2007, 2:43 pm 2:43 pm
Are you kidding? Senator Reid is simply trying to get his name in the media. There won’t be any changes to restrict private aircraft used by our elected officials. You’d have an easier time nailing jello to a tree.
Posted by: Jack Handy | January 10, 2007, 2:44 pm 2:44 pm
It is about time that these lawmakers are held in account for they things they do.
Posted by: Nikki | January 10, 2007, 2:56 pm 2:56 pm
This is a silly restriction on private travel. If you’re a senator from bumskills nowheresville(which is who SHOULD be in office) you can’t get decent airtravel. Maybe they should loosen part 135 regulations so that more operators can run scheduled service out of small towns with small planes to benefit everyone in that town.
Posted by: Eric | January 10, 2007, 3:30 pm 3:30 pm
integrety is what we want!
You know it’s wrong to do this, just do the right thing, don’t waste our money on making stupid laws..
Actually, I would prefer if legislators accecpt flights on corporate jets, they immediately get a long stay at one of a number of federal “gray bar hotels”.. say a stay of some 10 years automatically?
Posted by: fooled ewe's | January 10, 2007, 3:36 pm 3:36 pm
Why oh why don’t these Senators get the message??? We live in poverty, low paying jobs and they can fly around on private jets. My salary isn’t going up, but you can bet the price of gas, heating oil,
food, and my health care sure did.And we’re educated people~ I’d like to see them live the way some of us do!!
Posted by: Carol | January 10, 2007, 3:39 pm 3:39 pm
I DONT CARE IF THEY TRAVEL OR NOT AS LONG AS WE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE GET THE CHANCE TO DO THE SAME IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THEY WORKED HARD TO BE THERE IN THAT POSITION. I JUST WANT EVERYONE AS IN THE PAST TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE SAME AMERICAN DREAM , ALMOST DESTROYED BY THE REPUBLICANS AND THEIR WAR GAMES. WE CAN ALL LIVE A GREAT LIFESTYLE IF WE GET IT RIGHT. IF NOT THE SAME BAD SYSTEM WE SEE TODAY WOULD CONTINUE ON AND THAT IS PRETTY PATHETIC
GOD BLESS ALL
Posted by: paul | January 10, 2007, 3:42 pm 3:42 pm
LOL!! Yeah You guys are right!! We would be so much better off with the Republicans running the country! The porn sites must be down. Huh, guys?
Posted by: UR Shrill | January 10, 2007, 3:46 pm 3:46 pm
Only “WE” the people have the voice to prevent our elected officials from robbing the hen house. Speak up, write them, and VOTE!
They are forever lying and spinning their words. By the way, what ever happen to Osama bin Laden, George?
Posted by: RadGumb0 | January 10, 2007, 3:55 pm 3:55 pm
Limo’s and private jets while our foster children live like garbage. Limo’s and private jets while our elderly are denied medical care and prescriptions. Limo’s and private jets–with pensions and lifetime medical care—while they fight over whether the indigent may have $7.25 an hour?
GET THE SICK BAGS OF HUMAN VOMIT OUT. EXPOSE THIS AND GET THEM OUT. IF THEY HAVE TO TAKE A VOTE ABOUT THIS AND THEY REALLY HAVE TO DEBATE IT—THEY ARE NOT THE RIGHT ONES FOR THE JOB. Period.
Posted by: blondmadison | January 10, 2007, 3:58 pm 3:58 pm
Al Gore’s personal jets run on Biodiesel.
And don’t nail me to a tree please. Think Green.
Posted by: JelloB | January 10, 2007, 4:16 pm 4:16 pm
There shouldn’t be a health care insurance crisis in this country. Its time the powers that be start looking into the way the health system executives spend money on themselves and how they “spin” the rules and regulations and policies and procedures to benefit themselves.
Posted by: Deb McMullen | January 10, 2007, 4:18 pm 4:18 pm
I use to travel to our nations capital quite frequently. I would see our Senator from Alabama, Senator Heflin (deceased) at the airport terminal waiting for his flight back to Washington D.C. like the rest of his constituents in his district. Sometimes he would take the time to have a conversation with you. My point is this, there is no reason for a senator or congressman/congress woman to fly on a private jet. This country is in debt trillons of dollars and this is a luxury they do not deserve. It is time for all of you Republicans and Democrats to tighten your belts.
Posted by: Ben D. | January 10, 2007, 4:25 pm 4:25 pm
You people are so naive…”we’re living in poverty” and “American Dream destroyed by Republicans,” etc…we live in the richest country in the world, our “poor people” are so better off then middle class people in foreign countries. More importantly, the “war games” you are so against were started by Al Qaeda on 9/11. Check who we are fighting in Iraq, it’s not Iraqi’s, it’s foreign fighters, and Iraq is just the battleground.
At least we all have the opportunity to own private jets someday and as for the miminum wage…check out an economics class and you’ll see why they have to decide if the increase is good for the economy.
Posted by: Scott | January 10, 2007, 4:31 pm 4:31 pm
Where is Osama?
Dead.
Thank you George.
IDIOT libs: ‘Osama hasn’t attacked America since 9/11 and it GWB’s FAULT’
If there was a Osama death video, you wacko’s would say it’s our fault their is a video of him, and the whole world hates us, and we suck.
Their is no video of him dead and you say, he’s not dead, the whole world hates us, and we suck.
Wahhhhh!
Liberals = Constant Whiners.
Did your mother’s teach you nothing?
Posted by: JelloB | January 10, 2007, 4:35 pm 4:35 pm
He’s doing this to save face later when the Democrats tighten the pork that’s been served for 12 years.
Posted by: Joe | January 10, 2007, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
I think one should ponder how and why all these foreign fighters got to Iraq. To take easy pot shots at Americans.
I think one should ponder the errors that happened in this war, releasing 400,000 Iraqi soldiers with their weapons to go home and fight as insurgents another day, like today. Think we only fighting foreign fighters, think again. Think about the Sunnis and the Baathists.
Posted by: RadGumb0 | January 10, 2007, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
I completely agree with George
Posted by: Dan C | January 10, 2007, 5:33 pm 5:33 pm
Nothing will change in Congress irrespective of the “100 Hour” propaganda stint. It is just the Democrats version of the “Contract with America.” Nothing original, nothing new. Just lip gloss on the proverbial pig. How feeble-minded are the majority of our fellow voting citizens who thought that if they elected a democratic majority things would actually change? Proposing change and enacting change are two very different things. Making law (i.e., making sausage) is a very difficult and long process. Most Americans do not have the stomach or the attention span to understand how the process really works.
After the Republicans take back control of the Congress in ’08 (or shortly thereafter) they will propose even more “reforms.” Just wait and see.
The only answer is to create, support and maintain a viable third party that connects with the ideals of most Americans in the 21st Century. Bring back the Whig party in ’08.
Posted by: jim jones | January 10, 2007, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
Let’s see now, Senator Reid is in the top two (with Lott) for using private jets. So, he needs to pass a rule to protect him from himself?
Posted by: Randy | January 10, 2007, 5:58 pm 5:58 pm
I can not believe they are fighting for such stupid things when they can be tackling homeless in American. I was homeless one time during college. I tried to get help but no agency would help me. I some how managed to get a little room from a kind old lady near my college. There are around 800,000 homeless people in American. When there are so many homeless people in American it only means one thing and that is that we are heading into a Depression like the 1930′s. If our Congressmen and Congresswomen dont deal with this problems instead of which Corporate Jet they are going to take we are heading into very trouble times. And when those times get here both Democrats and Republicans are going to be blames. One because the control congress and the other because they control the president.
Posted by: Sean | January 10, 2007, 6:00 pm 6:00 pm
A government of the corporations and and special interests by the corporations and and special interests for the corporations and and special interests. It seems we the people no longer have any say. Its all about fat cat politicians and their greed. They should have to live in the real world like the rest of us.
Posted by: Keith | January 10, 2007, 6:27 pm 6:27 pm
Sean, seriously, are you for real?
I mean, we’re heading for the next great depression, because people don’t have homes? That’s pretty far-fetched.
Here’s a question for you Sean: How many of those homeless, shouldn’t even be in this country in the first place?
I doubt the report from which you quoted from includes the number of illegals.
What if 10% of those “homeless” are illegals and not even supposed to be here in the first place? What if that number was as great as 30%?
By the sheer definition, an illegal alien is IMMEDIATELY homeless once they step foot into this country, since they have no place to stay.
Homelessness isn’t a problem Sean. By definition – a problem must have a solution. There is no solution to the homeless problem -> hence no problem.
If you are homeless, take a word of advice from the birds… Fly south young man. It’s warmer down there.
Posted by: JelloB | January 10, 2007, 7:42 pm 7:42 pm
I hope this new democrat congress does not go after the drug companies, I don’t know what the news media will do with their prozac. These doom and gloom so called journalist, will be staring blankly in the prompter. Ever watch Brian williams and Tim russert, those 2 guys look so depressed evry night I am afraid they will hurt themselves.. they must actually be beleiving what they are reporting
Posted by: Sl | January 10, 2007, 10:06 pm 10:06 pm
When the rich end up in prison, (read Jack Abromoff)they very quickly learn about how poor people in this country really live. Many in smaller rooms than his cell.
You “compassionate” cons should spend a few years doing manual labor at $7.25 an hour and tell us what great care you’re taking of we working poor. Perhaps you’ll take another look at your greedy corrupt selves.
Larry M
Homeland CA.
PS
(disabled ex upper middle class worker. All it took was a drunk CONSERVATIVE by his own words to change my life a bit. P
Posted by: Larry | January 10, 2007, 11:38 pm 11:38 pm
It’s didn’t take long for the left-wing extremists to start deflecting Reid’s publicity ploy with the same shrill and stupid Bush/Republican bashing comments.
Bush bashing is the new game for the stupid people.
BTW before you ask “where’s Osama?” you better talk to Bill Clinton who refused to apprehend Bin Laden on three seperate occasions
Maybe Reid should make an exemption like Nancy Pelosi did to the minimum wage bill in order for her to pay off her contributers at del monte.
Posted by: Not Hillary | January 12, 2007, 2:16 pm 2:16 pm
Need to have a luxury travel? Need to reach the destination quickly than the commercial flight? Need to book a ticket immediately? More benefits with private jet.
Posted by: Maria | November 16, 2009, 11:20 am 11:20 am