Cheney's jet-setting lifestyle

Cheney wants Congress to shift White House funds to his travel budget, as he has used up his allotted $436,000. Keep in mind that this tax-payer-funded travel is almost exclusively for fundraisers:

Most of the vice president's travel since January has involved fundraising events for Republican candidates. The party or candidate pays part of the cost of political trips, but travel by the vice president involves staff, security and other trappings covered by the taxpayer. Today, Cheney is in Memphis to attend a luncheon for GOP Senate candidate Lamar Alexander and in Dallas for a dinner for congressional candidate Jeb Hensarling.

Cheney's people shrug off the criticism, noting that no new money is being requested. However, that's not the point. Check out this piece:

President Bush will look for new ways to restrain growth of domestic programs -- including education spending he considers wasteful -- as he struggles to pay for an indefinite war on terror with falling tax revenue, officials said yesterday.

So, while the vice-president demands more than half a million dollars to travel to fundraisers, his boss' administration is looking to to cut education funding. Brilliant.

Posted September 25, 2002 06:55 PM | Comments (3)