TT#14 | 13 Examples of Taxpayer-Funded Luxury Travel for Bureaucrats

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A.  Background

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) -- which answers to both parties in Congress -- recently reported that the taxpayers paid $230 million last year for 53,000 premium travel tickets. At least $146 million of this was "improper first and business class travel."

Premium travel is allowed under some circumstances.  Apparently, for example, we taxpayers totally don't want officials to fly coach for more than 14 hours. Federal guidelines spell out exceptions and justifications -- and require documentation.  Some agencies add extra guidelines. 

Let 'em eat coach like the rest of us, we say!  Better yet, make 'em persuade Congress to pass laws prohibiting airlines from designing coach seats with with just enough room so average adults have to sit for hours with their elbows jammed into their sides and knees against their chest.

All examples below are of Executive Branch travelers -- and some were presidential appointees. Didn't think anyone was looking, did you, guys?  Ha ha, caught you!

B.  Group Travel

1. A group of 21 employees of  the U.S. Trade Representative traveled premium class to Hong Kong for a meeting, where a good time was had by all (we're just guessing).  None of these "transactions" were authorized. Number of travelers: 21. Cost for premium:  $293,000. Cost for coach:  $124,000. (GAO at 28)

2. A group of eight Agriculture Department employees traveled from various US cities to a conference in Geneva.  The longest flight was 11 hours. The funding agency's guidelines prohibit business-class travel to Western Europe. Number of travelers: 8. Cost for premium:  $50,000. Cost for coach:  $8000.  (GAO at 28)   

3.  The Justice Department allowed a family of five to travel premium class from St. Louis to Sydney, Australia as part of a permanent move. Cost for premium:  $22,000.  Cost for coach:  $6000. (GAO at 28) 

4. The State Department has authorized premium-class travel for whole families from DC to Eastern Europe as part of a "permanent change of station" move.  The Department believed premium-class travel "improves employee morale."  Regulations allow premium-class for flights over 14 hours without a rest period before employees start work.  The GAO found no evidence that a rest period couldn't be scheduled. Number of travelers: 8.  Cost for premium:  $46,000.  Cost for coach: $12,000. (GAO at 26, 27) 

B.  Individuals Repeatedly Traveleing Premium Class

5. A U.S. Department of Agriculture traveler had premium fares authorized by a subordinate (good one!).  In 10 of the 25 trips, the traveler indicated that "exceptional circumstances" justified premium travel to Western Europe when flight time was less than 14 hours -- despite that agency's policy forbidding business-class to Western Europe.  These trips cost "more than $62,000 in premium class compared to less than $9,000 in coach class."  For 15 trips, this traveler didn't document exceptional circumstances. Total tickets: 25.  Cost to taxpayers:  $163,000. (GAO at 24)

6.   A Treasury Department traveler made a subordinate authorize premium flights for 12 of 21 trips and didn't bother getting 7 trips authorized (i.e., 19 trips weren't justified). Total tickets: 21.  Cost to taxpayers: $129,000.   

7.  A Defense Department traveler used a medical condition to justify premium-class travel. The traveler produced only "a note signed by a peer of the traveler, not a physician."  Defense Department policy requires medial exceptions to be certified by a medical professional. Total tickets: 15.  Cost to taxpayers: $105,000. (GAO at 24)

8.  An Education Department traveler had multiple trips authorized after the trips. One trip was justified using the 14-hour rule, but the trip was under 14 hours.  This traveler took other premium-class trips without authorization. Total tickets: 9.  Cost to taxpayers:  $42,000. (GAO at 24) [At least $42,000 is less than some schoolteachers make in a year, so let's cut this one some slack, yeah?]

9.  A traveler from the African Development Foundation got proper authority for three of the seven trips the GAO lists.  Yay!  Unfortunately, two of them were justified by "special need" and the Foundation couldn't explain to the GAO what this "special need" was.  Hey, we all have a special need not to travel with our knees pressed against our ribs.  Total tickets constituting "abusive activity": 10. Cost to taxpayers: $56,000. 

C. Single Instances of Abuse

10.  An Agriculture Department traveler flew business class to Zurich and back.  The travel orders were signed by the traveler's subordinate (not properly authorized).  This traveler claimed "exceptional circumstances" that his agency recognized: a policy enabling “a senior policy/program official to more effectively carry out the agency mission involving critical trade negotiations... or sensitive meetings," despite agency prohibitions against business-class travel to Western Europe. This traveler also took a one-night stopover in London. Cost for premium: $7500.  Cost for coach: $900. (GAO at 21)

11.  A State Department traveler flew from DC to Sydney at a cost "more than five times as much as a comparable coach class ticket."  This traveler got authorization -- but for a different trip.  Oops.  Despite repeated requests, the State Department did not give GAO investigators proper support for the premium class travel. Cost for premium:  $12,200.  Cost for coach: $2200.  (GAO at 21)

12.  A Transportation Department traveler flew premium class from DC to Seoul under a "blanket order" authorizing  premium travel. The GAO found it unauthorized and unjustified. Cost for premium: $6200.  Cost for coach: $1300. (GAO at 22)

13.  An assistant general counsel from the "MCC" flew premium class to Tbilisi and back.  It was unauthorized, and the GAO found no grounds for justification. Cost for premium: $7000. Cost for coach: $1200. (GAO at 22)    

Source:

GAO Report #07-1268:  Premium class Travel -- Internal Control Weaknesses Government-wide Led to Improper and Abuse Use of Premium Class Travel

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Other examples of Govt. Waste:

* Contractor Fraud: Driving Up Healthcare Costs?

* How the Energy Dept. Incinerated Tax Dollars

* Time for Pentagon to Get Serious about Contractor Fraud

* New Orleans Still Suffering after 2 Years and Billions of Tax Dollars

* Contractor UNISYS in Trouble Again

* Billions over Baghdad: Poor Accounting Allowed Waste & Fraud

* Officials Allowed Oil Companies to Underpay Royalties

* Defense Dept. Rewarding Bad Contractor Performance?

* How the Defense Dept. Flushes Dollars Down Latrine

* Gov. Contractors: Driving up War's Costs

* Justice Dept. Official Turned Blind Eye to Contractor Fraud?

Bonus

J. Lynne at D-3 posted a great piece last month about the Justice Department's conference spending.

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Comments

[nikki]

this makes my blood boil.

you guys might enjoy my tt this week!

http://www.shebecameabutterfly.net/?p=187

[Emmyrose]

Goodness! Very well researched TT!

Thanks for the visit. :)

[Sue]

Happy Thursday Thirteen, and thank you so much for stopping by!

[J. Lynne]

When I travel, it always ends up costing me more than my company will dish out, I'm hoarding those little peanuts I get on the flight to be one of my meals because I get so little to buy meals and then there's these guys who are just bleeding the government budget dry. No wonder there's no money for Katrina survivors, SChip, and Social Security.

I wrote a similar post about DOJ conference spending last month: http://jlynne.exit-23.net/2007/09/18/the-cost-of-food-put-into-perspective/

Anyway, Happy TT!

[L-Squared]

Wow, what a waste! As always, a very informative TT

Thanks for visiting my list.

[Shiloh]

Politics are so frickin depressing. Oye.

[pussreboots]

This waste doesn't bother me as some of the other ways our government is wasting money -- I thinking especially of the mess in Iraq.

Happy TT.

[Lara]

Considering all I wanted to do this year was try to afford to travel the 200 miles to Springfield Illinois to the Lincoln Library, this gave me the shivers!! You should have posted this for your Halloween TT -- it would scare everyone!!
Great post!

[Titania]

Our government is one big corruptive mess. Ever watch Glen Beck? Though I am a Liberal I also teeter on the fence with a lot of issues.

I really like Becks straight up manner in telling us the things mainstream news doesn't tell us. I do not always agree with him but I keep an open mind.

Great T13 and a very informative blog. Good job.

Thanks for stopping by my T13.

[Samantha_K]

Well, I do like knowing I'm providing nice, cushy airline seats for my Congressmen. They can rest their brains comfortably that way.

[Lori]

Talk about informative! That was quite a read ya got there. Always interesting though.

[Open Grove Claudia]

It's unbelievable given that the United States has shuttle planes in the air to almost every country in the world all the time. (shaking my head)

[Mark Caldwell]

I knew a consultant who was brought into a failing company to turn it around. They had similar rules for transport authroisation but no one paid attention. He got the board to make a small alteration making the staff member liable for the difference if the rules were broken. The first person caught out was a company director. After that everyone was a lot more careful. Maybe a similar system would work for your government?

[DebMomOf3]

Oh this just makes me mad... Such a waste!

[Vixen]

I don't know what to say except (again) you have educated me. That is why I show up every week!!!!

Happy TT

[Blue Momma]

Damn. I need a government job!

http://inthebowl.blogspot.com

[Laura]

Thank you for stopping by..have a great weekend!

[Dawn]

How can I get in on this. I want to travel premium too. Heck, I just want to travel at someone else's expense. I am sure it isn't much different in Canada.

[Joanne]

*just shakes head* But somehow I am not surprised. Thanks for stopping by! How can you not love Bush in his crocs or because of the intelligence he spews? Happy 13!

[Karen]

Wow. It just makes ya want to say grrrr

Thanks for the comment on my 13 favorite animals

[samulli]

And yet another example of "this is exactly the same as in Germany".
I don't even want to know how much money our politicians blow on first class travel. I also don't know if there even are any regulations on this, but I can dimly remember that we had some kind of scandal a while back when one of them apparently commandeered an army airplane for a personal holiday journey. Which, I have to admit, sounded like fun to me. ;)

[Tink]

Thanks for visiting my Yeats TT last week. I've been away for the weekend, so I'm very late to return the favour!