Richard Shelby: “the subcommittee has included the $500,000 for the reimbursement of the Travel Office employees terminated by the White…”

“the subcommittee has included the $500,000 for the reimbursement of the Travel Office employees terminated by the White House in May 1993. And why? I want to explain that briefly. Over 3 years later, we are attempting to offset the cost of the tremendous legal fees that these individuals, I believe, were wrongfully forced to assume. The provision here would pay the attorney's fees and costs they incurred with respect to that termination. Why do we need this legislation? In October 1993, as part of the fiscal year 1994 transportation appropriations bill, the Congress authorized the payment of $150,000 for the legal bills of the five White House Travel Office employees who, after being summarily fired, were placed on administrative leave and later transferred to other Federal agencies. This sum, $150,000, was insufficient to completely cover the legal costs of the five employees and did not address the attorney's fees of the other two fired Travel Office employees because they were still under investigation. Both employees have since been exonerated of any wrongdoing, and I believe they deserve similar reimbursement for the extraordinary and unnecessary legal expenses they were required to incur. Mr. Dale's attorneys' costs alone are close to half a million dollars. This is a unique case, to say the least.…”