FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  

August 14, 2007

CONTACT:    Jessica Rhoades 406/442.9520                                                                                  

 

 

 

Rehberg Junkets in South America and Paris

on Taxpayers’ Dime While Montana Burns

 

Federal Earmarks Function as ‘The Rehberg Travel Agency’

 

junket (1) : a trip made by an official at public expense. [Merriam-Webster dictionary]

(Helena, MT) – While fires rage across Montana this month, Democrats today blasted Rep. Dennis Rehberg for abandoning the state in order to junket at taxpayers’ expense in Brazil, Argentina and Chile this week -- after spending all of last week in Paris, France.  In contrast, Gov. Schweitzer, Senators Baucus and Tester and even candidate Bill Kennedy have been continually on fire lines across Montana standing with firefighters trying to contain the conflagrations at this critical time.  Junketing with Rehberg is Montana Republican Party Chairman, Erik Iverson, and both men’s wives. 

 

“Where is Denny?  Democrat Bill Kennedy has been out there on the fire lines, just like our Governor and our Senators,” said Jim Farrell, Montana Democrats’ executive director.  “What a failure of leadership. What a waste of taxpayers’ money.  Instead of being here for the men and women fighting the Chippy Creek fire, I suppose Rehberg is cavorting on the beaches of Ipanema, or perusing the artists’ stalls along the Seine.”

 

Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, slipped a $400,000 earmark into the federal FY 2008 Financial Services Appropriations bill in order to pay for his and Iverson’s junkets around the world.  He secured a $500,000 earmark in the FY 2006 Science, State, Justice & Commerce spending bill for the purpose.  The money went to the Montana World Trade Center in Missoula, and appears to have the sole purpose of flying Rehberg and friends to desirable destinations -- and paying for their hotel rooms, dinners, drinks and other entertainment.  The Montana World Trade Center is paying for their travel through ‘Enterprise Montana’.

 

“Slipping expensive earmarks into federal spending bills for the purpose of flying family and pals around the world on vacation is nothing new for Rehberg or Iverson,” Farrell said. “This is the same thing Conrad Burns did when he directed earmarks to the Inland Northwest Space Alliance (INSA), which then paid for his junkets to Las Vegas and elsewhere.  It is tawdry and corrupt.”

 

Rehberg and Iverson’s trip to South America seems to be little more than a pricey vacation – in the company of their spouses – wrapped around a few speeches and brief meetings.

 

 

###