Mark Kirk: “Mr. Chairman, one of the key principles of leadership is to lead by example, and the leader of this House, Speaker…”

“Mr. Chairman, one of the key principles of leadership is to lead by example, and the leader of this House, Speaker Pelosi, has moved us to restrict access to executive jets, as she should have. She has also moved to institute new spending controls for the Congress and for the government, as she should have. And she has moved to reduce our impact on the environment, especially man's effect on climate change, as she should. I agree with each of these priorities. But the Speaker's staff request to upgrade her military domestic taxi service from a small plane that was offered to Speaker Hastert for 12 passengers and a crew of five, to a major airliner with 45 passengers and a crew of 16 appears to be extravagant, appears to expand the Congress's excess to executive jets, appears to remove any spending controls from our operations, and dramatically increases our impact on the environment, especially climate change. Mr. Chairman, it seems to me that a major airliner costing over $10,000 an hour to fly is an extravagance that is beyond the Speaker's status as third in line to succeed the President under our plan in the Constitution and in procedure for the continuity of government.”