You total idiot! Stop being a dittohead and think for yourself! You think either Party gives a damn about you, your job or your Family?? How stupid can you be?? Republikans do something really dumb and some how you want to blame the Dems??
You're a good example why animals eat their young sometimes. Go crawl back under that Conservative rock you live under, Moron!!

This journalism reporting is disgusting -- how about Pelosi's trip to Italy? And all the money spent flying Obama around?That was funded by tax payer money as well!! This article tries to make it sound like Republicans are the only ones to blame for spending?!? Peter Cohan, you should be ashamed of this intentionally biased article -- at least show an attempt to be truthful.

BECAUSE PELOSI WANTS A NEW ONE TOO, HE'S IS GETTING WORN FROM ALL THE WEEKLY TRIPS TO CA

Because they are all crooks and do not give a rat's tail about taxpayers, you or me.

yea all politians are scum and dont mind spending your tax dollars do they

OMG people, does anyone research before they speak anymore.Not that I am agreeing to help buy anything for the luxury of any government or even my grandchildren, everyone can work like I do.

I am not a hired speaker for the D's the R's or the I's, I am simply a grandmother who checks out what is being said before I spout off.

So here is the scoop, and you can research it yourself:

Originally the United States Air Force had asked for one Gulfstream 550 jet (price tag: about $65 million) as part of an ongoing upgrade of its passenger air service. (HIGH RANKING OFFICIALS FOLKS, still no excuse but lets face it, could the Secretary Of State fly to IRAN on commercial jet....). But the House Appropriations Committee (GODS OF THE HOUSE whom ever they are, I am trying to find out), took it upon themselves, (added this shopping spree item) to the 2010 Defense appropriations bill (ALREADY EXISTING FOLKS)another $132 million for two more airplanes and specified that they be assigned to the D.C.-area units that carry Members of Congress, military brass and top government officials. (NOW REALLY FOLKS DO YOU WANT ONE OF THESE PEOPLE ON THE PLANE WITH YOU AND THEY ARE SO HATED THRU OUT THE WORLD???hum???not to mention not liked really well at home either....NOT ME!)

Because the (GODS OF THE HOUSE) Appropriations Committee viewed the additional aircraft as an expansion of an existing Defense Department program, the GOD'S did not treat the money for two more planes as an earmark, (FOLKS DEFINITION OF A POLITICAL WORD....EARMARK is a congressional provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees. The term is only used in this sense in the United States, and it not recognized as a noun by major dictionaries (either the Oxford or the Merriam Webster)and BECAUSE OF THE FANCY POLITICAL WORK EARMARK the legislation does not disclose which Member had requested the additional money.

(OH YEA FOLKS WHEN YOU SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY JUST TELL YOUR SIGINIFICENT OTHER, "OH HONEY THE MONEY WAS EARMARKED" and you will be off the hook for explaining why,how,who and where the heck did this money come from.)

An Appropriations Committee GOD (STILL NO NAME FOR THIS GOD) said the military was already planning to replace its passenger fleet, and the committee “looked at the request and decided they should speed up the replacement.” (OH YEA FOLKS, EARMARK AND SPEED UP YOUR SPENDING OUT OF ONE OF THE FIVE OVERDRAWN CHECK BOOKS.)

The Gulfstream G550 is a luxury business jet, which the company advertises as featuring long-range flight capacity that “easily links Washington, D.C., with Dubai, London with Singapore and Tokyo with Paris.” (GODS SHOULD GO THERE DON'T YOU THINK BUT NOT WITH THEIR FAMILIES OR I HOPE I AM RELATED). There is only seating for 18 passengers, so yes more than one would help, LETS SEE GRANNY (ME) BRO EARL, HIS BRO EARL, HIS UGLY WIFE NELLIE, OH YEA THEIR TWINS UG AND GLY.) This version Gulfstream sold to the military is reconfigured for the government with modest accommodations, not the luxury version sold to private customers, said a source familiar with the planes. (GREAT WE HAVE A SAVINGS HERE FOLKS)

(FINALLY A NAME FOLKS...STAY UP WITH ME ON THE FACTS)Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) had submitted a request to the (GODS OF THE HOUSE) Appropriations Committee for a $70 million earmark (FOLKS, REMEMBER THIS IS A POLICITIAL WORD ONLY) for one airplane on behalf of Georgia-based Gulfstream, and Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) lists the airplane as one of the earmarks (OMG IS THERE NO END TO THIS WORD) that he was asked to request, though his office said he never made the request to the Appropriations Committee (GODS OF THE HOUSE).

“The committee saw fit to fund it at that level” without Kingston’s involvement, his spokesman said. (THE GODS HAVE SPOKE).$200 MILLION for the jets.

(MORE GOD NAMES FOLKS) “U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert [R-Ill.] and [then-Senate Armed Services Chairman] John Warner [R-Va.] are among its frequent flyers.”

(FOLKS REMEMBER THIS GOD'S NAME) Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, said if Congress wants to buy new jets for the comfort of top government officials, “I think that all needs to be justified on the merits. ... Certainly, lawmakers can fly — and many do fly — coach and business class.” While there may be reasons for flying on top-notch private jets, “it shouldn’t just be squeezed into the bill.”

Ellis said the Appropriations Committee is “the judge, jury and executioner over what is an earmark and what isn’t. (NOT TO WORRY ELLIS BOY, I HAVE ALREADY EXPLAINED THE WORD, WE DO KNOW SOMETHINGS...)

Loren Thompson, defense analyst at the conservative Lexington Institute, said, “In the case of the VIP transport for the executive branch, you can easily explain the cost [of private travel] in terms of the risk of somebody being taken hostage or having their time wasted when a critical decision is pending.” (FOLKS, WHERE THE HECK IS AIRFORCE 1 OR 2 WHEN THE BIG GOD IS NOT USING THEM. SAVE THE $200 MIL AND PUT IT BACK IN THE ONE OF THE OVER DRAWN CHECK BOOKS. Of course no one will listen me. I am just the average working class non D,R,OR I. Just a chubby white haired grandmother that does not know about politics but I do know how to overspend!)

FOLKS THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO THIS STORY BUT YOU GET THE JEST OF IT. SO BEFORE SPOUTING OFF DO YOUR RESEARCH.

Interesting...article names two Republicans, but no Democrats. However, there is a clue..the article says the two are just part of 11 junkets. Sooo..the other unnamed 9 must be Democrats.

did you not read, it has not been approved , yet.

How irresponsible of this reporter!! Those trips in no way constitute having to purchase those jets. The story makes it sound like they are one time use and throw away. There are plently of resources out there to allow these trips even if they are not approved by popular opinion. The purchase of the jets is coincidence and poor journalism!!!

Personally, I am begining to believe most of the folks that we have in the senate, congress, state governments are nothing but money grubbing idiots that got us into this fiasco of a mess.
OBama is not helping....Republicans or Democrats are not helping they are all to busy spending our money, sleeping around and having affairs and anything else they can get away with.
This is totally rediculas and some how some way this maddness needs to stop.

It would be interesting to know what it will cost to run those planes and maintenance.

BOTH parties suck. Our Republic is rapidly being changed into an Oligarchy. Term limits at the very least; vote them out or get the rope. BASTARDS.

IF THESE CROOKED REPUBLICANS HAD AN OUNCE OF BRAINS OR KINDNES REGARDING THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, THERE WOULD NEVER BE AN ISSUE OF BUYING THESE AIRPLANES. I SUSPECT THAT ANY DEMOCRAT THAT SUPPORTED THE PURCHASE DID SO SO THAT THE TRADE OFF WOULD BE TO GET THE LOUSY REPUBLICANS TO SUPPORT ONE OF THERE BILLS. -- I SUGGEST THAT THOSE REPUBLICANS , THE JET NEEDY, SHOULD AT LEAST BE THROWN OUT OF CONGRESS AND PUT IN FRONT OF A FIRING SQUAD. --- WE TOLERATED THE BUSH CHANEY CRIMES AGAINS THE PLANET AND THESE SAME REPUBLICANS ARE STILL AT IT. -- WHERE ARE YOUR BRAINS MR. AND MRS. AMERICA.

My god I hate all politicians.

Stop the order for the new planes for Congress. They can travel on our regular commecial planes. (United, American, Delta and others.

Reduce Michelle Obama's servants, secretaries and other helpers. Privious First Ladies managed and in a better economic period.

Alas, in his attempt to point the finger at the GOP, Mr. Cohan either displayed his bonehead ignorance or was too biased to point out that the move to purchase these aircraft was initiated by Nancy Pelosi, and had to be approved by the Democrat-controlled House and Senate.

And he seems to have forgotten that shortly after becoming Speaker, Ms. Pelosi demanded that her predecessor's use of an Air Force C-20 was simply inadequate to meet HER needs. SHE demanded a Boeing 757-200, with room for her staff--42 business class seats in addition to her stateroom and conference room. Unfortunately, it was so, so...inadequate! Now she will have a Boeing 767 with an operating cost of over $83,000.00 an hour, and burns 430% MORE fuel!

She feels that her colleagues in the House will have to just get by on their fleet of new Gulfstream G550s, described by the manufacturer as, "a brawnyaircraft with an international reach. ...of 6,750 nm at Mach 0.80 and a high-speed cruise capability of Mach 0.87. With its long legs, the G550 easily links Washington, D.C., with Dubai, London with Singapore and Tokyo with Paris."

Alas, in his attempt to point the finger at the GOP, Mr. Cohan either displayed his bonehead ignorance or was too biased to point out that the move to purchase these aircraft was initiated by Nancy Pelosi, and had to be approved by the Democrat-controlled House and Senate.

And he seems to have forgotten that shortly after becoming Speaker, Ms. Pelosi demanded that her predecessor's use of an Air Force C-20 was simply inadequate to meet HER needs. SHE demanded a Boeing 757-200, with room for her staff--42 business class seats in addition to her stateroom and conference room. Unfortunately, it was so, so...inadequate! Now she will have a Boeing 767 with an operating cost of over $83,000.00 an hour, and burns 430% MORE fuel!

She feels that her colleagues in the House will have to just get by on their fleet of new Gulfstream G550s, described by the manufacturer as, "a brawnyaircraft with an international reach. ...of 6,750 nm at Mach 0.80 and a high-speed cruise capability of Mach 0.87. With its long legs, the G550 easily links Washington, D.C., with Dubai, London with Singapore and Tokyo with Paris."

Robert, Bob called you a dittohead. Do you think he knows what a dittohead is? I doubt it.

Hey idiot....did you not read the headline "Two REPUBLICANS". Don't try and pin this on the Dems. Get a life and accept the blame for a change....