In the last five years, members of Maryland?s congressional delegation have spent more than $640,000 in private money to travel the country and the globe on everything from fact-finding missions to networking trips.
But Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Baltimore, stands out in the group as the thriftiest spender, despite being the second-most frequent traveler. He did not travel outside the United States, and Cummings said he drove himself to most of the events.
“I have a lot of work to do right here in Baltimore and Washington,” Cummings said. “There is value in travel, but my schedule is just one where, even the times when we?re off, I?m booked.”
According to data complied by the Center for Public Integrity, Cummings and members of his staff spent $51,647 on 56 privately funded trips between January 2000 and June 2005.
Cummings? most expensive trip was a $4,867, a three-day technology tour to California sponsored by AT&T and Microsoft Corp. Most of his journeys came in less than $1,000, including trips to New York, Boston, Raleigh and Orlando, Fla. Based on travel records, Cummings was a frequently sought-after keynote speaker. Cummings attributed his popularity to his “unique speaking style.”
“I don?t think it?s what people expect from a politician,” he said.
In contrast, retiring Sen. Paul Sarbanes took 80 trips in the five-year period and spent an average of $1,843 per trip. Rep. Steny Hoyer took 40 trips and averaged $2,215 per trip. Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich reported taking 25 trips during his last two years in Congress at an average cost of $2,450 per trip.
Sarbanes, along with fellow Democrat Rep. Ben Cardin, and former Republican Rep. Connie Morella, were frequent guests of the Aspen Institute, a Colorado-based think tank founded to foster dialogue about pressing public policy issues. During the period covered by the report, Morella participated in eight Aspen Institute programs in locations including Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, Italy and Mexico totaling $60,626.92.
“I think private travel is overdone, that the concerns are excessive,” said Richard Falknor, executive vice president of the Maryland Taxpayers? Association. “This issue is transparency. These groups that are sponsoring these trips are getting access anyway. That?s part of legislating.”
Tom Schatz, president of the nonprofit watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste, has also called for more complete and prompt reporting of privately sponsored travel. The center?s analysis exposed sloppy reporting practices by members who often left required forms incomplete.
