By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – A video has gone viral showing Central Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis ignoring a fellow airline passenger’s complaint that he should not be flying in first class during the partial government shutdown.
The video released by HuffPost, formerly known as Huffington Post, shows the Republican from Taylorville collecting items from his seat when the passenger confronted him about flying in first class while 57,000 Transportation Security Administration employees are working without pay.
“Congressman, do you think it’s appropriate to fly first class while 57 (thousand) TSA agents aren’t being paid?”
Davis did not answer, prompting the passenger to say, “Taking that as a yes.”
“Taxpayers paid for this flight? Fair enough,” the passenger added.
Later, Davis spokeswoman Ashley Phelps released a statement to political website and newspaper, The Hill, claiming the lawmaker’s office bought a coach ticket for a flight on Tuesday from Chicago to Washington, and that Davis was able to upgrade his seat to first class at no additional cost because of his frequent flyer status.
The statement said Davis has never flown first class at taxpayer expense, and he has voted numerous times to ensure TSA agents are paid.
Phelps said Davis continues to call on Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to negotiate a deal with President Trump to reopen the government.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
