Blue Dogs Endorse the Taxpayers DIME Act in Response to Cabinet Officials Wasting Taxpayer Money on Luxury Travel

Following recent reports that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke spent over $14,000 on government helicopters to travel to and from official events near Washington, D.C, the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition has endorsed H.R. 3879, the Taxpayers Don't Incur Meaningless Expenses (Taxpayers DIME) Act. This bill was spearheaded by the co-chairs of the Blue Dog Task Force on Government Reform and Accountability, Reps. Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR). The Task Force is responsible for monitoring regulations issued by the federal government and analyzing rules to ensure congressional intent is appropriately applied.

The Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) outline the rules applicable to senior federal officials and agencies for requesting, approving, and using government aircraft for official and non-official travel. However, reports of Cabinet officials inappropriately requesting or utilizing government aircraft demonstrate a violation of the spirit of the FTR. The FTR clearly state the following regarding the travel for federal officials: "taxpayers should pay no more than necessary for your travel."

The Taxpayers DIME Act ensures no taxpayer money is spent on government air travel that violates rules applied to senior federal officials, increases transparency and oversight of government travel, and calls for the independent Office of Government Ethics (OGE) to report on ways to strengthen existing rules.

This year alone, several Cabinet officials, in addition to Secretary Zinke, have been identified for using either private, charter, or military aircraft instead of taking commercial flights—a practice that wastes large amounts of taxpayer dollars.

"Taxpayers are rightfully outraged by the disturbing practice of government officials wasting their hard-earned dollars to travel exceptionally short distances in government and private aircraft. It is time to put an end to this," said Rep. Tom O'Halleran, Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Government Reform and Accountability. "The Taxpayers DIME Act strengthens rules against wasteful government spending and brings greater transparency to how agency resources for government travel are used or abused. Those who serve the American people, regardless of political affiliation, must be held to the highest ethical standard, and I will continue pushing for greater transparency and accountability in Washington."

"There's often a running, mostly false narrative that Washington doesn't play by its own rules. When we see federal officials jet around the country on taxpayer dollars, the skepticism only deepens," said Rep. Kurt Schrader, Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Government Reform and Accountability. "Our Taxpayers DIME Act ensures that public servants are transparent and fiscally responsible in their air travel spending, and it will hold those who aren't accountable. We're here to serve our neighbors back at home, not lavish their hard-earned dollars on personal luxury. If that's too much to ask, then go home—and fly commercial."

"The Blue Dogs are sending a clear message by endorsing this bill: no federal official is above the rules," said Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications. "This is common sense. Hardworking Americans rightly expect their taxpayer dollars to be used in a responsible, efficient manner, and federal officials have a responsibility to live up to that expectation and adhere to the rules. Public service is not intended to be a luxurious experience—it's about serving and sacrificing in order to improve the lives of the American people."

"The American people have understandably been frustrated with Washington in response to reports of government waste on unnecessarily expensive air travel," said Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy. "Americans work hard for their money. Federal officials must be held accountable to use hard-earned taxpayer money in a responsible way. With the Taxpayer DIME Act, we can better ensure that federal officials are conducting their jobs in the interest of serving the American people—not in the interest of luxury."

"Using taxpayer dollars in a responsible manner isn't a Republican or Democratic issue—it's the basic obligation of all public servants," said Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration. "As Blue Dogs, we believe that all federal officials should live up to a higher level of ethical standards and be transparent about their activities on the American taxpayers' dime. With the leadership of Rep. O'Halleran and Rep. Schrader, this is another step forward to increase the level of accountability on federal officials in Washington."

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