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Good
afternoon
folks
-
Last
month,
our
national
debt
hit $20
TRILLION,
meaning
each
Iowan
shoulders more
than
$62,000 of
that
burden. Our
children
and
grandchildren
deserve
better
than
to
be
left
picking
up
the
tab
for
Washington's
reckless
and
out-of-control
spending.
This
is
why,
every
month,
I
give
out
my Squeal
Award,
which
recognizes
a
Washington
expense,
program
or
concept that
must
be
closely
examined
and
scrutinized.
Continue
reading
below
to
hear
the
latest.
Squeal
Award:
Sky
High
Travel
Costs
While
more
and
more folks are
traveling
by plane
these
days, flights
can
still
be
costly. And
private
planes?
Get
outta
town!
Or,
in
recent
cases,
federal
agency
heads
who
appear
to
have
an
unlimited
budget
for
private
and
luxurious
travel
accommodations
-
at
no
cost
to
them!
Recently, reports
have
emerged
that some of
our
federal
agency
heads
have
taken
private
or
charter
jets
for
work-related
travel
or
unnecessary
trips, all
on
the taxpayers’
dime.
Keep
in
mind:
Each
agency
head,
political
appointee,
and
career
official
is
mandated
by
U.S.
Code
to
travel
in
the
most
cost-effective
manner.
These
reports
show
that
our
agency
heads
are
not
living
up
to
the
standards
set
by
this
statute.
That’s
why
two
days
ago,
I
sent
a letter
to
the
Government
Accountability
Office
(GAO) Comptroller
General
Gene
Dodaro
requesting
he
look into
the
travel
of
federal
officials
within
the
executive
branch.
In
my
letter,
I
specifically requested
the
following
from
the
GAO:
- Are
agency
heads,
political
appointees,
and
career
officials
within
the
executive
branch
traveling
in
a
cost-effective
manner?
- Are
the
rules
and
procedures
regarding
the
travel
of
agency
heads,
political
appointees,
and
career
officials
effective
in
upholding
5
U.S.C.
§
5733
and
ensuring
that
the
executive
branch
officials
travel
in
a
cost-effective
manner?
Are
these
regulations
consistent
across
agencies
within
the
executive
branch?
I
also
asked
that
the
GAO
report
include
recommendations
for
action
that
can
be
taken
by
Congress
and
the
executive
branch
to
ensure
that
travel
by
federal
officials
is
done
in
a
cost-effective
manner
and
that
the
regulations
governing
executive
branch
officials
are
effective
and
consistent
across
the
executive
branch.
You
can
read
the
full
text
of
my
letter
to the GAO here.
Because
of
their exorbitant
travel
accommodations
at
the
expense
of
hardworking
taxpayers,
I
hereby
present
this
month's Squeal
Award to
our
agency
heads’
sky
high
cost
of
travel.
Do
you
have
an
example
of
government
waste
or
inefficiencies
that
I
should
take
a
look
at?
Send
me
an
email
by clicking
here.
Thank
you!
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