(This post may contain disputed claims. We make no assertions as to the validity of the information presented by our Opinion Columnist. We are an opinion blog, not a traditional news outlet, and this post should be treated as such. Enjoy.)We are currently in the midst of the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history, and it’s largely because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) refuses to work with President Donald Trump to reach a compromise on the issue of border security. Pelosi doesn’t want to pay for a wall, but a damning new report shows just how much taxpayer money she was willing to spend on personal flights for herself and her family members. Prepare to be appalled.
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s congressional delegation (CODEL) to Belgium, Egypt, and Afghanistan hit a serious snag when President Donald Trump banned her from using military aircraft, citing the current government shutdown and pending negotiations.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released Trump’s official letter to Pelosi notifying her that the flight had been grounded. It reads, “Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over.”
“In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate,” wrote the president. “I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the Shutdown.”
“Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative,” Trump added. “I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding, and security it so desperately deserves!”
President @realDonaldTrump’s letter to @SpeakerPelosi concerning her upcoming travel pic.twitter.com/TtBCvwp080
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 17, 2019
In light of this, documents released Saturday under a 2015 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit by Judicial Watch have revealed the astronomical cost of another trip Pelosi took. From July 30 to August 6, 2015, she visited Italy and Ukraine with a delegation that was made up of nine other members of Congress, including Democratic Reps. Anna Eshoo of California and Marcia Fudge of Ohio. Four of Pelosi’s family members, including her husband Paul, were also on the trip.
According to The Daily Caller, Pelosi’s European excursion cost the Air Force about the same amount of money it would take to send a student to Harvard University for four years.
Flights for the trip cost the Air Force a whopping $184,587.81, but her outrageous spending didn’t stop there. The delegation dined at some of the finest eateries in the world, including James Beard American Restaurant in Milan, where a five-course meal can cost up to $190.
Comparatively, Republican Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner’s CODEL trip with multiple stops in East Asia in August 2015 cost around $26,009.03 for commercial flights and per diems.
Pelosi also treated the members of the Air Force unlucky enough to be transporting her like servants, according to an internal email. “You’re going to love this …. CODEL Pelosi is requesting the crew they had on this earlier attached trip. Apparently, they were very pleased with their service. I already told the escort chances were slim,” an unidentified Air Force official wrote on July 9, 2015.
As we’ve been saying from the very beginning, the argument over border security isn’t about the money. Not only does it make perfect fiscal sense to invest in an impenetrable border wall once you consider the overwhelming cost that unbridled illegal immigration puts on our economy, but Democrats like Nancy Pelosi love to spend taxpayer money.
The absurd amount Pelosi spent on one overseas trip proves as much. She doesn’t care about saving the American people’s money — she’s paying hundreds of dollars a head for her and her family to dine out at the finest restaurants in the world.
