Every time I see a senator or representative pretend they're off to do something worthwhile in another country, especially Ukraine because why in the heck would anyone go to a country actively at war, I can't help but wonder what it is they're really up to.
Or what is actually in it for them.
It's a sad reality that the majority of elected officials seek election not to make the country a better place but to get a piece of that very lucrative elected official pie. I know that sounds cynical but after covering these people for nearly a decade now (hard to believe it's been that long but it's true) and watching them become rich(er) while in office ... the title of public servant just cracks me up.
In reality, the only people they're serving are themselves.
Sean Davis said it way better than I can PLUS he brought a receipt ... if this doesn't piss you off I don't know what will.
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Want to know why so many senators and congressman go on long foreign trips pretending to do official business? Easy: it's all about the Benjamins.
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) February 19, 2024
In Ukraine, for example, senators receive $338 in cash each day they're in Kiev. That's the official government per diem rate for… pic.twitter.com/93Ub6AuWeZ
From Davis' post:
In Ukraine, for example, senators receive $338 in cash each day they're in Kiev. That's the official government per diem rate for food and lodging, which of course senators don't need to pay for because it's already provided by the federal agency trip planners (on your dime), along with their airfare.
Upon landing, they're each literally given an envelope of cash for their per diems. When Tom Coburn was a senator, he refused to accept the per diems on the account they were wasteful and unnecessary, and the agency flacks had no idea what to do because nobody had ever refused them before.
A single week-long trip to Kiev nets each traveling senator nearly $2,500, which doesn't include the cash or gold bars or diamonds they're accepting under the table. When lawmakers travel overseas on government planes, they also aren't required to go through customs or declare what they're bringing back or how much they're carrying in currency (or gold bars). Isn't that convenient?
If you've ever wondered why so many lawmakers seem to spend so much of their time going on "fact-finding" trips around the world, or why there's always some stupid picture of them in each country pretending to do something official to justify the trip, you no longer need to wonder. Like everything in Washington, it's always about the money.
... it's always about the money.
And the power, but money comes with power and vice versa.
I’m SURE, California Congressman @RepSwalwell was conducting important, Congressional ‘business’ on this jaunt to Qatar: pic.twitter.com/nqmeQIXBLO
— Marla Hohner (@marlahohner) February 19, 2024
Awww yes. Swalwell is one of the worst.
Of course, we never voted for this; THEY DID!
— Quaran-Tina (@superbucks2050) February 19, 2024
Sort of like how they refuse to pass term limits.
Same deal. They're more concerned about what is good for them than what is good for country. Hey, any one of them is welcome to try and prove me wrong.
