Peters' Amendment to Prevent Wasteful Spending on First Class Travel Passes the House

Press Release

Today, in a unanimous vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment introduced by U.S. Representative Gary Peters to cut wasteful spending by preventing federal contractors from using tax dollars for first class travel. The amendment, attached to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, ensures that appropriations for Veterans Affairs are spent with accountability to our nation's veterans.

Peters said: "As of Monday, there were 596,061 veterans waiting for their claims to be processed by Veterans Affairs. More than half of these claims have been pending for 125 days or more. This is outrageous and simply unacceptable. Our veterans have put their lives on the line for this nation and they deserve the benefits they earned and were promised.

Peters continued, "This amendment sends an important message that Congress, the Administration and federal contractors are accountable to American taxpayers. It goes against all common sense for federal contractors to spend tax dollars on first class flights. Our nation's veterans must come first."

Peters served in the U.S. Navy Reserve for more than a decade, rising to the rank of Lt. Commander. As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, Peters has championed efforts to increase transparency and accountability in the use of federal funds. In 2013, Peters introduced the Congressional Oversight to Start Taxpayer Savings Act which requires that committees of jurisdiction hold oversight hearings on the findings of an annual GAO report that highlights duplicative federal government programs.

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