To direct the Secretary of Defense to determine and disclose the costs incurred in taking a Member, officer, or employee of Congress on a trip outside the United States so that such costs may be included in any report the Member, officer, or employee is required to file with respect to the trip under applicable law or rules of the House of Representatives or Senate.

Mr. Speaker, many Members of the House may have seen a recent Wall Street Journal article that documented how existing disclosure requirements allow many of the costs associated with congressional delegation trips overseas, known as CODELS, to go unreported.

Right now, when Members of Congress take foreign trips using commercial airlines, the costs are publicly disclosed in reports published in the Congressional Record. However, the costs of Members' foreign trips using military aircraft are not. In the past, Members of Congress have used military aircraft even when traveling to exotic locations that are readily served by commercial airlines. Press reports have indicated that the military even maintains a specially outfitted VIP fleet, operated out of Andrews Air Force Base, where aircraft can carry costs estimated at $10,000 per hour.

When a Member of Congress takes a taxpayer-funded trip overseas, taxpayers have a right to know how much of their hard-earned money is being spent on that travel. For this reason, I recently introduced H.R. 3036.

This legislation would direct the Department of Defense to provide a report on the costs incurred in taking a Member of Congress, an officer or an employee of Congress on a trip outside the United States. It would then require the Member of Congress to disclose those costs, and these costs would be publicly reported online.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that this bill would not apply to any trip for which the sole purpose would be to visit one or more U.S. military installations or to visit U.S. military personnel in a war zone, since there may be varied security reasons for not disclosing the costs of these trips.

With an ever-growing national debt and with our military budget stretched thin, it is more important than ever that Congress acts as a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars. Bringing sunshine to the costs of Members' foreign travel will help ensure taxpayer dollars are efficiently used.

I am pleased that this legislation has received the support of the National Taxpayers Union, of Eagle Forum and of Public Citizens Congress Watch. It has also been endorsed by the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste. Their letter of support for this bill states:

``Military aircraft is necessary when flying into war zones or U.S. military installations overseas; however, the military fleet is too often used to shuttle Members back and forth to locations served by commercial airliners. Members of Congress should be held accountable for every bill footed by taxpayers.''

Again, that statement that I just read is from a letter that the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste wrote to support this legislation. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I submit the text of this letter for the Record.

In closing, I hope my colleagues will become cosponsors of H.R. 3036, and will join in bringing transparency to the cost of foreign travel by Members of Congress.

Council for Citizens Against

Government Waste,

Washington, DC., June 29, 2009.

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative: Congressman Walter Jones (R-N.C.)

recently introduced H.R.

3036, a bill that would bring transparency to taxpayer-funded

overseas trips taken by members of Congress. On behalf of the

more than 1.2 million members and supporters of the Council

for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), I urge you to

support this legislation.

The military maintains a specially outfitted VIP fleet out

of Andrews Air Force Base that can cost up to $10,000 per

hour to operate. Members of Congress often take advantage of

these military aircraft for overseas travel, even in

instances where commercial flights are readily available and

more cost-effective. The cost of commercial airline travel is

publicly disclosed, but the cost of travel on military-owned

jets is not provided.

H.R. 3036 would require the Secretary of Defense to

determine and disclose the cost of foreign trips for members

of Congress using military aircraft. These costs would then

be publicly reported online through the House Clerk's

website.

Military aircraft is necessary when flying into war zones

or U.S military installations overseas; however, the military

fleet is too often used to shuttle members to back and forth

to locations served by commercial airliners.

Members of Congress should be held accountable for every

bill footed by taxpayers. All votes on H.R. 3036 will be

among those considered in CCAGW's 2009 Congressional Ratings.

Sincerely,

Thomas A. Schatz,

President.