When members of Congress visited Berlin this month to discuss policy issues, their familes members traveled along with them - for free.
The trip - with lodging at the five-star Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin - cost a private nonprofit at least $187,000, including nearly $69,000 in travel and other expenses paid on behalf of family members. The trips, allowed by House ethics rules, underscore that getting free travel with family is one of the perks of the job.
The Franklin Center for Global Policy Exchange sent at least 16 members of Congress on a week-long trip to Berlin, where the representatives met with officials to discuss various policy issues, according to disclosure forms submitted so far.
All but three members brought family with them. While most members were accompanied by their spouses, Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) brought his son, and Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), his sister. Five other members — Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.), Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla), Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio), Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) and Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.) — disclosed taking anywhere from one to four additional days to explore Germany at personal expense.
The Franklin Center, which bills itself as a non-partisan organization "committed to enhancing global understanding of important international issues," is perennially one of Congress's biggest sponsors of private travel.
