An Air Force C-40B/C, the military version of a Boeing 737-700 business jet. It’s one of many aircraft used for VIP airlift, including those infamous Congressional junkets (USAF photo)
According to the Politico’s Patrick Rogers and David O’Connor, Speaker Pelosi appealed to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who told the Air Force to include Baldwin’s partner on the junket. But the issue is far from resolved:
Sadly, the chances of a crackdown on Congressional travel are approximately…zero. The Pentagon understands who controls its budget, and if it takes junkets and private jets to keep Congressmen and Senators happy, so be it. It’s no accident that VIP airlift is run by the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, a four-star general. When it comes to our jet-setting pols, the brass takes a personal interest, all in the name of keeping Congress happy.
We’re guessing that Ms. Azar won’t have any problems getting a seat on future Congressional junkets. But that begs an obvious question: why should the U.S. taxpayer fund travel by spouses, domestic partners, mistresses, or any other “significant other” that a Congressman drags along on a junket? It’s supposed to be a business trip, though (sadly) little gets done on most of these excursions. The Politico doesn’t provide the purpose of this latest trip, but it sounds like nothing more than an Easter vacation for those hard-working legislators.
Call us old-fashioned, but we don’t think that family members or romantic interests have any place on a Congressional trip. Getting rid of those “distractions” would be a good way to reduce the number of junkets, and curb our leader’s appetite for VIP travel.
Weaning Congress off military jets would be a difficult process, though it could be done. For starters, how about down-sizing the 89th Military Airlift Wing at Andrews AFB to a group, and getting rid of some of the smaller jets operated by that organization, including Nancy Pelosi’s favorite 737. Keep Air Force One, the VIP 757 and a few business jets. Along with the scaled-back wing at Andrews, the Pentagon could also trim its relatively large inventory of C-21s (the military version of a Lear Jet). The Air Force has no less than 74 C-21s, which also support VIP travel. If officials don’t rate a seat in the “smaller” executive fleet, let them fly commercial.
If you’ve been there, you know what we’re talking about. There’s nothing quite like a troop seat in the back end of a C-130. The temperature is always too hot or too cold, and there’s little room to stand up or stretch out, thanks to the pallets or equipment that fill the cargo bay. For in-flight service (if you’re lucky), there’s an MRE or a box nasty, handed out by a grumpy loadmaster.
It’s a reminder that military airlift is a multi-faceted mission that involves far more than transporting VIPs in comfort and style. It’s a lesson that needs to be learned by members of Congress, their families, and their various romantic partners.