Posted on 08/12/2011 11:16:14 PM PDT by Iam1ru1-2
Senate Democrats are charging taxpayers for a trip to Hawaii, The Daily Caller has learned. The entire press staff of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee is in Maui, even though a field hearing there won’t happen until next Wednesday.
The committee’s oversight field hearing, scheduled for August 17 at 9:00 a.m. at the Maui Beach Hotel, will focus on “Strengthening Self-Sufficiency: Overcoming Barriers to Economic Development in Native Communities.”
Rick Manning from Americans for Limited Government, which first discovered the hearing, told TheDC it’s unbelievable that Hill staffers talking about fiscal responsibility would waste money on a trip to Maui.
“It’s outrageous that Senate Democrats have so little respect for the American taxpayer that in the same month they buried our credit rating, they’re heading to Hawaii to celebrate,” Manning said.
A committee staffer told TheDC that the reason the hearing will be in Maui is “mostly because it’s his [committee chairman Sen. Daniel Akaka’s] home state.” It’s unclear if the field hearing will focus on any issues relating at all to Hawaii, or if the reasoning for scheduling the trip there is only because Akaka will already be in Hawaii during the congressional recess.
The staffer said Akaka is the only senator who will attend.
The Democratic committee staffers used taxpayer funding to travel to Hawaii a full week before their committee’s hearing date. When TheDC called the committee’s Washington, D.C., office Thursday afternoon, a different staffer who answered the phone said all the committee’s communications staffers are already in Maui.
It’s unclear if other committee employees, in addition to communications staff, are also in Maui.
It’s standard practice for taxpayers to cover travel expenses for congressional committee staffers, but there’s no way to know at this point how much the trip will cost, unless staffers offer up the information.
Committee staff declined to answer specific questions about why the field hearing was scheduled in Maui, nor would they say how many of their colleagues were there, on their way there, or scheduled to travel there.
It’s called ‘Teleconferencing’, look into it.
I want my money back, but wanting isn’t getting. I’m so tired of being ripped off by these leeches.
Why are congressmen / senators representing one of the states paid by the federal goobermint ?
Why is their staff not employed by the state they represent ?
States should pay them an their staff based on performance. You cut waste an fraud you get a percentage of said savings as income.
No workie no payie....
Sick an tired of this scam from all polidiots an their handlers....
/rant....
We are being fleeced.
Seriously, however, there is no justification for going to Maui a full week before the hearing.
It's a Hawaiian beach vacation at taxpayer's expense when millions of Americans are unemployed and living on the edge in the Democrat's economy.
“Strengthening Self-Sufficiency: Overcoming Barriers to Economic Development in Native Communities.”
This isn’t from the Onion? It’s hard to tell these upside down days. They’re getting a head start on strenghtening their own self-sufficiency with a couple weeks of Hawaiian beaches by overcoming economic barriers on their wallets by using the taxpayers’ dime.
Maui Hawiai ...Senate committee hold meet to work on Native American affairs... Where “Indian” chiefs ....from India will out number any from the US....
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