Dick Chrysler: “once again, the Commerce Department has made news. But it's not news about any new trade deals it won for American…”

“once again, the Commerce Department has made news. But it's not news about any new trade deals it won for American business. It's for the travel habits of the Secretary of Commerce. It seems that the Secretary has a penchant for travel, one that has cost the taxpayers of this country millions of dollars. In fact, the current Secretary's travel costs have increased by over 145 percent from that of his predecessor. One can only assume he is using the same travel agency as the Secretary of Energy. This weekend, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Department of Commerce's own inspector general was sharply critical of Secretary Ron Brown's travel expenses, noting that "His spending levels are particularly striking since he took over the job from a Republican administration that was often under fire for incurring excessive travel costs." The Los Angeles Times goes on to add, "Brown, a former chairman of the Democratic Party, was accused by his critics of using his travel budget to gain favor with political allies and party contributors, many of whom have been invited to accompany the secretary on his extensive foreign trips." Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the Los Angeles Times article.”