Nancy Pelosi and the House have managed to bring Democrats and Republicans together. It wasn't an intentional move. It just worked out that way.
Senators are disgusted by their plans to upgrade jets used by senior government officials. Democrat Claire McCaskill says the jet proposal makes her feel sick to her stomach.
The Pentagon has also weighed in, saying all those new jets the House has ordered aren't necessary.
From the Wall Street Journal:
Bipartisan opposition is emerging in the Senate to a plan by House lawmakers to spend $550 million for additional passenger jets for senior government officials.
The resistance to buying eight Gulfstream and Boeing planes comes as members of both chambers of Congress embark on the busiest month of the year for official overseas travel. The plan to upgrade the fleet of government jets, which was included in a broader defense-funding bill, has also sparked criticism from the Pentagon, which has said it doesn't need half of the new jets.
"The whole thing kind of makes me sick to my stomach," said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) in an interview Sunday. "It is evidence that some of the cynicism about Washington is well placed -- that people get out of touch and they spend money like it's Monopoly money."
Several other senators said they share the concerns and will work to oppose the funding for the jets when the legislation is taken up by the Senate in September, including Sens. John McCain (R., Ariz.,) Jack Reed (D., R.I.), Richard Burr (R., N.C.), Christopher Bond (R., Mo.) and John Thune (R., S.D.).
The funding for new planes is "a classic example of Congress being out of touch with the realities of deficit spending," said Mr. Thune.
The Obama administration had sought $220 million to buy four passenger jets, including two that are currently being leased by the Air Force, to replace a fleet of older planes. Before leaving town for the August break, House lawmakers doubled the aircraft order to eight, at a total cost of $550 million.
It's encouraging to see that some senators, both Dem and Republican, are showing some awareness of the recklessness of out of control deficit spending.
Hopefully, the House's jet dream won't become a reality.
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