Support the No Congressional First Class Flights Act, H.R. 4509

On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to support the No Congressional First Class Flights Act, H.R. 4509, introduced by Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa). The bill would prohibit the use of congressional funds to pay for airline accommodations above the lowest fare of coach-class accommodations for members of Congress.

Members of Congress are elected by their constituents to serve the public, not to personally profit from abuse of power. It is understandable that members of Congress frequently travel between Washington, D.C. and their home districts, often requiring a flight to do so. However, using taxpayer dollars to pay for members’ first-class luxury flights is both irresponsible and unnecessary.

Rep. Blum introduced an amendment to insert this same common-sense language into an appropriations bill, H.R. 3219, earlier this year. Although the amendment was not added to the final language that passed the House, Rep. Blum’s statement at the time on the virtues of this measure holds true:

“Americans’ hard earned tax dollars shouldn’t go towards paying for politicians to fly first class… There are currently no restrictions on flying first class on the taxpayer’s dime… This is ridiculous and needs to stop now. Being in Congress should be about public service, not enjoying perks funded by Americans’ taxes.”

FreedomWorks agrees fully with Rep. Blum’s assessment of members’ abuse of taxpayer money for personal pleasure, and applauds his continuing efforts to hold members fiscally and ethically accountable. The No Congressional First Class Flights Act is a common-sense measure to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used to benefit constituents, not on personal luxuries for members. For these reasons, I urge you to contact your senators and representative and ask them to support the No Congressional First Class Flights Act, H.R. 4509.

Sincerely,

Adam Brandon
President, FreedomWorks