Report: Millions Wasted on Gov't Travel

[unhappycamper]

Report: Millions Wasted on Gov't Travel
HOPE YEN | October 3, 2007 05:01 AM EST


WASHINGTON — Federal employees wasted at least $146 million over a one-year period on business- and first-class airline tickets, in some cases simply because they felt entitled to the perk, congressional investigators say.

A draft report by the Government Accountability Office, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, is the first to examine compliance with travel rules across the federal government following reports of extensive abuse of premium-class travel by Pentagon and State Department employees.

The review of travel spending by more than a dozen agencies from July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006, found 67 percent of premium-class travel by executives or their employees, worth at least $146 million, was unauthorized or otherwise unjustified.

Among the worst offenders: the State Department, whose employees typically fly abroad on official business.

Many of the cases involved high-ranking senior officials or political appointees who claimed exceptions to federal travel rules by citing old medical records or questionable approval from a subordinate employee.

Investigators found that senior officials often flew business- or first-class because they felt entitled to the perk.


Rest of article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20071003/government-travel-waste/

[MADem]

1. Unsurprising, really. This has been an issue for decades.

Of course, there IS a new and added dimension to push those costs up further--ever since Nahn-Wun-Wun changed ever-thang, I would wager that more and more charter air, mil air (with less than full pax compartments) and private air is being used. Remember, John Ashcroft was flying private air well before Nahn-Wun-Wun because of "unspecified" threats.

[BOSSHOG]

2. Sight em and fine em or jail their fat asses

what the hell is wrong with teleconferencing?? We used it all the time in the Navy in the 90's and saved a fortune on travel funds.

Condi Rices prima donna's, suspects number one. Why the hell do we have a state department and why would its members need to travel? To do nothing? Exactly what they have done since 2004.

[aquart]

3. Greedy, entitled little bastards.