"I have confidence that I have never been influenced by anyone who provides me with the courtesy of a private airplane."
HARRY REID
Senate Majority Leader
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday he saw nothing wrong with accepting travel on corporate jets but that he came to realize the practice looks bad and should be curbed.
His comments came on the same day the Senate voted to shine more light on thousands of expensive pet projects buried in legislation every year after the new Democratic majority bowed to a successful push by Republicans to make new disclosure rules even tougher than originally planned.
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The vote was 98-0 to require senators to reveal the water projects, hiking trails, defense contracts or tax breaks for specific industries they insert in legislation. That unanimity came five days after Democrats, holding a slim majority, were thwarted by a GOP-led rebellion in advancing their own version of "earmark" reform.
The Senate also voted 95-2 to advance debate on a Reid amendment that would broaden the ban on lobbyists offering gifts and travel to include companies that hire lobbyists. The amendment also would end the practice of senators' paying the equivalent of first-class tickets when they catch rides on corporate jets, instead they would have to pay more expensive charter rates.
The Senate is trying to finish work on the ethics and lobbying bill, which seeks to restrict the ability of lobbyists to shower meals, gifts and travel on lawmakers, by the end of this week.
Reid, the Senate majority leader, defended his rides on private jets. He said some of the flights were necessary to travel to parts of Nevada where commercial flights are scarce and car rides are long.
Reid accepted 37 trips aboard corporate aircraft between 2001 and 2005, ranking sixth among 535 lawmakers, according to Political MoneyLine, a nonpartisan analysis group. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., ranked first.
Reid's travel hosts included BellSouth, Federal Express, SBC Communications, Sinclair Oil, UST Inc., MGM Grand, Western Nevada Supply Co., and Wilkes and McHugh, a law firm from Tampa, Fla.
The Nevadan reimbursed his hosts $72,502, which government watchdog groups say is a fraction of the actual costs of the flights. They also say the flights give corporate executives and lobbyists special access to lawmakers that is not available to the public.
Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., accepted a flight aboard a Union Pacific Corp. jet in June 2002, and reimbursed the company $3,012, according to Political MoneyLine.
"I use these airplanes a lot because I live in Nevada and because of other duties I have here," Reid said in a Senate speech. "I have never had anyone say they would give me an airplane ride if I gave them something, or they had a piece of legislation and will you help me with that. That has never happened."
For instance, Reid said, last August he asked Mike Ensign, former chairman of Mandalay Bay Resorts, to fly Reid and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., his son., to Ely. "Mike Ensign does not want anything from me, and there isn't a thing in the world I can give this man," Reid said. "He did this because he is my friend."
People who agree to fly Reid to his destinations "have done this out of the goodness of their hearts," he said.
Reid defended the practice of accepting corporate jet trips as he promoted an amendment that would probably end the practice.
The amendment would require senators to pay charter rates for flights they take on corporate jets. Currently they are allowed to pay the equivalent of a first-class ticket.
"There is a huge difference," said Craig Holman, a lobbyist for Public Citizen. "First-class generally costs about $1,000 while a charter flight could range from $10,000 at the very lowest up to $60,000" depending on destination.
Holman said the steeper reimbursements would end the practice "for most practical purposes, unless a member of Congress really wanted to spend a great amount of their personal funds or campaigin funds to charter a flight."
Reid said he accepted the need for change.
"I have confidence that I have never been influenced by anyone who provides me with the courtesy of a private airplane," Reid said. "But I have come to the realization that this practice provides a major perception problem because the American people have the right to insist that we do what seems right as well as what appears right."
