Examiner Editorial: Congressmen shouldn't fly first-class on taxpayers' dime

Once in a while, even in Congress, an idea crops up that makes so much sense that people say “well, of course” when they hear of it. Such is the case with the “If Our Military Has to Fly Coach Then so Should Congress Act of 2014” (H.R. 4632), originally introduced by a bipartisan group of four members of the House of Representatives: Republicans Walter Jones of North Carolina and Paul Gosar of Arizona, and Democrats Raul Ruiz of California and John Barrow of Georgia.

Members of Congress have been flying first-class for a long time, thanks to a loophole that exempts them from rules that require executive branch officials and members of the military to fly coach on commercial flights unless they upgrade their tickets at their own expense.