Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) has spent almost $210,000 on private charter flights for herself and her staff using taxpayer cash, according to a report from The Daily Beast.
"Given that senators have limited annual budgets to fund their operations, Sinema’s use of private flights also raises questions about why she is prioritizing that expense over other essential functions of her office," writes the The Beast's Sam Brodey.
Brodey points to Sinema's home-state colleague, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who reportedly never used his Senate budget for chartered flights. Brodey contends that the flights raise questions "about why she is prioritizing that expense over other essential functions of her office."
Sinema's flights have primarily been within her state of Arizona, though she has charted flights from her home state to D.C. — trip that other lawmakers usually make on commercial services.
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Brodey acknowledged that the lawmakers are granted annual taxpayer-funded budgets that they can use however they see fit. He also acknowledged that there are no rules against flying private but, he points out, there are reasons why the flights are problematic.
"For one, senators’ budgets are limited, and flying private is incredibly expensive. In 2023, Sinema’s annual budget authorization was $4.1 million — a sum that has to cover every expense of her office, including the salaries of her staff, her weekly travel between Arizona and Washington, office supplies, and everything in between," Brodey writes.
Speaking to The Beast, Jordan Libowitz of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said Sinema's use of taxpayer dollars to fund the flights is worthy of scrutiny.
“This is one of those things that does raise the question of, is this the best way to manage the budget?” he said. “Could she be doing more for the state otherwise?”
Read the full article over at The Daily Beast.
