DeFazio’s bare, naked, anti-consumer lobbying fundraising

When I am working in Washington on consumer issues, I forget about the issues of money. Sometimes, I forget about bipartisanship. I think I am lucky to be working in the field of travel, where the real advocates for passengers are the senators and representatives themselves. They are our watchdogs. They fly almost every week and have a firsthand knowledge of the hassles we all face with airlines, airports and TSA. Or do they?

This article from the Irish Times, with data taken from opensecrets.org, has shaken the foundations of my belief that Congress ultimately comes down on the side of their constituents. As a consumer advocate in DC, I sincerely believe this in most cases. However, my faith in our representatives, at the highest levels of airline committee membership, has been severely shaken by the members’ acceptance of anti-consumer lobbying money.

A news story just emerged that showed Peter DeFazio, the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (this translates to the highest ranking Democrat on the most important aviation committee in the House of Representatives), is taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in lobbyist money from the foes of consumer interests. A lot of money.

In the case of the battle to stop Norwegian Air International (NAI) gaining permission to operate between Europe and the US, Rep. DeFazio has lined his pockets with $140,000 dedicated to anti-consumer restraint of competition, according to watchdog Opensecrets.org. Since Mr. DeFazio has become the top-ranking Democrat on the influential Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, his donations have doubled from $680,000 to more than $1.3 million. More than 82 percent came from big-mont lobbyist groups.

In 2014, Mr. DeFazio turned his back on consumers by supporting the ill-advised and Orwellian-named, “Transparent Airfares Act of 2014.” This was an airline industry attempt to roll back the full fare advertising rule imposed by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to simplify airline pricing and make it more understandable for consumers. Today, Mr. DeFazio’s personal crusade against the NAI approval is anti-consumer and evidently quid pro quo for aviation stakeholders and union financial support. This latest DeFazio financial flap demonstrates how the good of constituents comes after fundraising, today.

Here are 10 reasons that the NAI approval will benefit American consumers. It will benefit millions of consumers and travel and tourism providers. Mr. DeFazio’s purchased opposition benefits only a few hundred union personnel in his state at the expense of the American public.

1. NAI approval will result in lower international airfares.
2. NAI approval will increase travel and tourism spending in the USA.
3. NAI approval will open new international gateways in America.
4. NAI approval will provide more choice for aviation consumers.
5. NAI approval will help America’s regional airline pilots.
6. NAI approval will provide more airline jobs here in the USA.
7. NAI approval will provide more airport jobs here in the USA.
8. NAI approval will support the Open Skies treaties that is critical for FedEx and UPS international operations.
9. Norwegian Air International approval will strengthen American industry.
10. Norwegian Air International approval will improve the customer experience.

Mr. DeFazio personifies one of the major problems with Congress and its cozy relationship with industry and unions in pursuit of fundraising. This political money, many times, comes at the expense of the American public. His position as the ranking Democrat on one of Congress’ most influential committee magnifies his acceptance of stakeholder money.

Once upon a time, I sat on the aisle across from Sen. Joe Lieberman, who eventually became the Democratic VP Candidate and ran with Al Gore. On a flight from Boston to Denver, he sat in his small coach seat just like the rest of us, even though he had been offered a first class seat on the flight (I’m sure). These were the days when I was writing about skiing, snowboarding and general travel issues, long before I started working in Washington. Those were the days when Congressmen were still focused on what was good for “the people” and representing their constituents.

Ah! Those were the days, my friends.

These days, Senators and Congressmen get airline and airport perks that the rest of us can only dream about. (Many of these are hearsay and observation. If I am wrong, or these instances that I observed are unusual, correct me. I’ll make sure to put it in a blog.)

  • Members of Congress have a private parking lot at Reagan National Airport across the street from the terminal.
  • They are allowed to make multiple reservations on Thursdays, getting out of town, and on Monday evenings, getting back to town from visiting their states and districts.
  • Many times, they get upgraded on a space-available basis.
  • TSA security lines, whole body scanners and patdowns don’t apply to them.

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