According to records, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has paid tens of thousands of dollars from her campaign for private jet travel, despite advocating for measures to combat climate change that target the fossil fuel industry.
Despite her support for the Inflation Reduction Act, a climate and energy plan proposed by President Biden that could potentially cost taxpayers up to $1.2 trillion over a decade, House Democrat leader Pelosi faced criticism for using a private jet. Pelosi has been a longstanding advocate for green energy initiatives.
According to campaign finance records, the congresswoman’s campaign spent more than $43,600 in March to charter aircraft provider Advanced Aviation for private jet trips, increasing her total jet costs since late 2020 to nearly $700,000.
While advocating for pollution control, Pelosi spent about $500,000 on private jets. According to Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), a House Financial Services Committee member, she has an immense amount of wealth that allows her to purchase things beyond the reach of the average American. This is how she chooses to spend her money.
According to a report released in April 2021 by the European energy group Transport & Environment, private aircraft are typically ten times more “carbon-intensive” than commercial flights. According to the study, private planes are 50 times more harmful to the environment than railways and five to fourteen times more harmful to the environment than commercial aircraft.
According to disclosures, Pelosi’s campaign has paid Advanced Aviation 14 times since October 2020, with an average payment of around $42,400. For the midterm elections, her campaign spent a total of $349,500 on charter aircraft. In September of that year, there was a provision of $51,300 for travel in kind given to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
It was also disclosed that both Republicans and Democrats had utilized the Virginia-based company Advanced Aviation for their travel needs since 2015. As per the company’s website, they provide various private jet choices. These include turboprops for up to eight passengers and ultra-long-range jets that can fly for up to 16 hours and accommodate up to 18 passengers. Along with the various forms of transportation, the company also provides helicopters with WiFi.
Filings reveal that during the first quarter of 2023, Pelosi’s campaign spent $61,481 on travel, mainly through commercial flights with United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Delta Air Lines.
Last year in April, the ex-speaker of the House posted a tweet stating that oil and gas executives keep their bonuses and profits while working people who need to commute to earn a living are affected by the high gas prices. The former House speaker has backed the phase-out of fossil fuels. She added that Oil and Gas companies’ greed had strengthened the Democrats’ case to oppose corporate monopolies, diversify energy supplies, and move away from fossil fuels.
After Democrats regained control of Congress in 2018, the congresswoman revived the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. The Committee’s report, published in 2022, claimed that the “climate crisis” endangered America’s security and stability and our economy, way of life, and communities.
According to the study, the Select Committee’s goal was not just for academic purposes, as Speaker Pelosi mentioned. The Committee aimed to lead significant climate legislation across committees by making informed recommendations and fulfilling our moral duty to future generations and children. According to Pelosi, government intervention must be more comprehensive to address the scope and potential destruction of the climate catastrophe. To unlock, extend, and deploy the technologies required to meet the challenge of our lifetimes, the federal government must take specific steps to encourage private investment.
Pelosi’s latest private jet payments have been recently revealed. Ironic, considering her stance on climate change. According to disclosures, Democratic campaigns and liberal political action committees spent over $1.4 million on charter aircraft during the midterm elections. Similarly, Senator Bernie Sanders, who supports ending our dependency on fossil fuels, paid three private jet firms (N-Jet, Mac Jet Charter, and Apollo) a total of $416,800 between 2017 and 2022, as reported by the same disclosures.