Congressman seeks probe of chartered flights by U.S. energy secretary
Source: Reuters
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic U.S. congressman is asking the Department of Energy’s watchdog to investigate Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s travel on chartered aircraft, the congressman said at a hearing on Thursday.
U.S. Representative Frank Pallone said Perry’s trips on chartered planes need scrutiny in light of the “extreme” budget cuts the department faces in a 2018 federal budget proposed by Republican President Donald Trump.
In a letter on Thursday to the Energy Department’s inspector general, Pallone cited a $35,000 trip Perry took from Washington to a private airport in Kansas that was within a 45-minute drive of Kansas City International Airport.
“It is unclear why Secretary Perry would require such costly travel in instances where more economical options were readily available,” Pallone wrote.
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#POLITICS OCTOBER 12, 2017 / 11:38 AM / UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO
Emily Flitter, Timothy Gardner
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-energy-perry-travel/congressman-seeks-probe-of-chartered-flights-by-u-s-energy-secretary-idUSKBN1CH2BZ
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