Hi everyone, as the holiday travel season is within sight, we’ll soon be hunting for the best bargains. Whether buying an airline ticket for a business trip or a vacation you will be looking to keep expenses low and make the family trip affordable. Apparently that’s not the case for some federal employees who fly on the taxpayer’s dime.

As a steward of taxpayer dollars in the U.S. Senate, I work to bring accountability, transparency and integrity to the process when government workers are carrying out the people’s business.

Since 2003 when I found widespread abuses within the Department of Defense, I’ve had my eye on travel spending amongst federal employees. According to a Government Accountability Office report I recently requested along with Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Carl Levin of Michigan, 67 percent of the premium-class travel was in non-compliance with federal travel rules. That added up to at least $146 million in upgraded, taxpayer-funded airfares that were either unauthorized or unjustified.

Apparently these high-ranking federal officials felt entitled to stretch their legs in luxury on the taxpayers’ tab. In fact, the premium airfares in business or first-class resulted in expenses from five to 10 times more than was authorized under government travel rules.

The federal agencies abusing this can expect more turbulence from this U.S. Senator until wayward jet-setters in government can get their heads out of the clouds and fly by the rules.