Illinois lawmakers see world on others' tab

WASHINGTON -- Members of the Illinois congressional delegation -- including two who announced their retirement -- have reported nearly $157,000 in travel expenses picked up by taxpayers or private sponsors since last year, according to an Associated Press review.

The trips have largely been made to other countries -- about 40 in all, according to public finance filings for trips made between January 2007 and April 2008. Ghana, China, Afghanistan, Costa Rica -- all were visited by at least one of the federal lawmakers.

Two Republicans, the now-retired Rep. Dennis Hastert and retiring Rep. Ray LaHood, and two Democrats, Reps. Danny Davis and Luis Gutierrez, accounted for more than half the reported value of all the trips. Hastert's tab was more than $20,000 of the $72,000 total of taxpayer-funded expenses.

There were occasional oddities: The only trip made by House Democratic Conference Chairman Rahm Emanuel came after comedian Bill Maher's HBO show picked up the $1,119 tab so he could fly in to be a guest on the California-based program.

In many cases, the reported value of overseas trips seems low, but that is generally because lawmakers can sometimes use military airplanes rather than commercial flights, for which airfare expenses must be listed.

For example, Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate's second-highest Democrat, generally used military planes in visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait -- and there were no reported costs for that under congressional rules. When he took a commercial charter back to the United States from Jordan because the military plane his group intended to use was not available, the State Department paid for the $8,531 cost.

Durbin, as he has in past years, returned part of his per diem, spending only $827 of $1,195 allotted.

Davis led all 21 members of the delegation, with $23,118 in expenses, almost half of which was for a visit in April to China paid for by a longtime political supporter seeking help to become a partner with the Chinese in a factory to be built in Inner Mongolia.

Davis, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who represents a largely black district, said he went to China to help a fellow African-American friend and supporter out of a desire to advance black entrepreneurship in the huge Chinese market where American blacks have had little involvement.

That friend, former sharecropper Willie Wilson, is head of Omar Medical Supplies Inc.

Wilson, either directly or through his company, has contributed about $20,000 to state and federal campaign funds maintained by Davis, a former Chicago alderman and Cook County officeholder. Wilson said he works with a Chinese-based manufacturer, but wants to own a factory.

Davis said the China visit began on a Sunday night with a round of meetings and dinner in Beijing, followed by 10 hours of travel to Inner Mongolia for an agreement-signing ceremony. By Tuesday, he was in Washington, D.C.

Davis said "I guess I really wasn't needed," but Wilson insisted that if it were not for Davis's presence, he would not have been able to meet the Chinese foreign minister. He said that meeting helped complete a deal where the Illinois businessman will get a quarter-interest in a 150,000-square-foot factory employing up to 300 workers making medical supplies.

Wilson predicted the investment in China will help create jobs in Illinois and there should be increased sales around the world.

"I have to take my hat off to him," he said of Davis.

Brad Fitch, a former longtime aide and management consultant for Congress, said the Illinois delegation appears to be going on business travel related to the business of government. To Fitch, that's no surprise after the famous and politically embarrassing stories of years ago when congressmen were basically getting vacations from taxpayers or groups.

"They go to learn about other countries, or help support U.S. businesses, or build relationships with their governmental counterparts," he said. "I'm pretty familiar with the itineraries of these types of trips and one of the myths is that these are some kind of paid vacations. In fact, these schedules are often pretty tough, encompassing 10-hour days packed with meetings and working meals."

LaHood made two of his taxpayer-funded trips at a cost of $6,847 after he announced last July that he would not seek re-election to an eighth term. These included a five-day trip to Denmark, Sweden and Ireland, and eight days with another delegation in Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand.

In an interview, LaHood said the trips increased his knowledge on such issues as energy and trade so that he would be better prepared in casting the remaining votes in the final months of his congressional career.

"I am not leaving (right now)," he said. "I was elected to January 3."

Courtesy of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan leadership organization, LaHood and his wife also had $6,947 in expenses paid for a five-day trip to Costa Rica last fall so the congressman could attend a conference on Latin America. Lodging and meals were $3,485 of the cost.

LaHood noted that his district includes the headquarters of Caterpillar Inc., a company with major interest in trade matters as the world's leading manufacturer of farm equipment.

Hastert, who lost his position as speaker of the House after the 2006 elections, went to China and Japan on a nine-day trip at taxpayers' expense last August. For a total of $14,351 (including $10,505 in transportation costs), it was the highest reported price tag of the group.

Hastert said that month he would not seek re-election and has since stepped down. Hastert went on the trips, according to spokesman Brad Hahn, as a member of the House Commerce and Energy Committee who wanted to become more knowledgeable on energy issues as he prepared for what he hoped would be a significant role in crafting new energy legislation.

"Ultimately, it didn't happen, and he stepped down," Hahn said. "Denny has long believed it's important for members to travel and to learn from others and see what is and what is not working beyond our borders."

Other details from the AP review:

• Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski and his wife attended the Miami-based Bipartisan Congressional Health Policy Conference in January 2007. It was sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform Commonwealth Fund, which took care of their reported expenses at the three-day event that including $1,357 for meals.

• Retiring Rep. Jerry Weller, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has been a frequent overseas traveler at taxpayer expense in past years and is married to a member of the Guatemalan parliament. The Republican reported no trips during his last term.

• Rep. Mark Kirk, a suburban Chicago Republican who is a military intelligence officer in the Navy reserves and has served in the Pentagon war room, went on a nine-day trip to China, courtesy of the National Committee on US-China Relations, a New York-based nonprofit educational group whose members include various foundations and several federal agencies. His tab totaled $9,924: travel, $9,007; lodging, $753; meals, $161; and $3 for "other."

• Among members not reporting any trips were Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate. Obama, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, did visit such places as Ukraine and his late father's native Africa in the first two years of his term, for a total taxpayer-funded cost of nearly $28,000.

"At a time when our homeland security is often dependent upon our relations and understanding of other countries, it's probably much better for Congress to be engaged in these kind of trips," Fitch said. "As long as they're disclosed and they seem connected to their work, which all of these trips appear to be, congressional travel like this leads to a more informed legislator and better public policy."

Congressional travel by member

HOUSE

1. Bobby Rush, D.: $2,463 in government-sponsored trips; $529 sponsored by private entities; $2,992 total.

2. Jesse Jackson Jr., D.: $5,905; zero; $5,905.

3. Dan Lipinski, D.: $3,413; $6,039; $9,452.

4. Luis Gutierrez, D.: $4,417; $14,385; $18,802.

5. Rahm Emanuel, D.: zero, $1,119; $1,119.

6. Peter Roskam, R.: zero; zero; zero.

7. Danny Davis, D.: $417; $22,701; $23,118.

8. Melissa Bean, D.: $5,086; zero; $5,086.

9. Jan Schakowsky, D.: zero; $12,638; $12,638.

10. Mark Kirk, D.: zero; $9,924; $9,924.

11. Jerry Weller, R.: zero; zero; zero. Retiring, last term.

12. Jerry Costello, D.: $8,473; zero; $8,473.

13. Judy Biggert, R.: zero; zero; zero.

14. Dennis Hastert, R. (retired Dec. 2007): $20,003; zero; $20,003.

14. Bill Foster, D. (succeeded Hastert in March 2008): zero, zero, zero.

15. Tim Johnson, R.: zero; zero; zero.

16. Don Manzullo, R.: $252; zero; $252.

17. Phil Hare, D.: zero; $10,328; $10,328.

18. Ray LaHood, R.: $10,816; $6,947; $17,763. Retiring, last term.

19. John Shimkus, R.: $1,559; zero; $1,559.

SENATE

1. Dick Durbin, D.: received $1,195 in per diem for taxpayer-funded trips to five nations but spent $827.16 and returned the rest to the U.S. treasury; zero, $827.16

2. Barack Obama, D.: zero; zero, zero.

Total for Illinois delegation: $156,743 ($72,143 in government-backed trips and $84,600 private)