Several representatives and their spouses spent the week of Memorial Day on an expensive trip to Japan, thanks to the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, which dropped an average of almost $28,000 per member.
But that trip was relatively cheap compared to what the American Israel Education Foundation spent to fly Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) and his wife to Israel earlier this spring: $49,705 - the most money that a sponsor has ever disclosed spending on travel for a single member or staffer. Travel for Reps. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) and Neal Dunn (R-Fla.) and their wives cost the organization another $46,713 and $43,565, respectively.
This year, 11 members have accepted travel worth more than $30,000 each. Such expensive travel was a rarity in years past. Now, interest groups have sponsored six of their ten all-time most expensive trips just since January.
Inflation, at a 41-year high, is partly to blame for the rising costs. But interest groups are also including more business-class airfare and luxurious accomodations as part of their congressional travel offerings.
Members and their staff have so far this year accepted 851 trips at an average cost of $3,180. At this point in 2018, sponsors averaged $1,750 each across 1,329 trips. Privately sponsored travel is typically much lower in election years.
