With all of the pork being spent on "bridges to nowhere", why can't Congress pay its own way for business travel? Have a travel fund established for business travel by Congressional members and their staff. Instead, businesses that have interests in travelers' legislation is paying for the trips-- this is from a recent Report of the Center of Public Integrity:

WASHINGTON, August 30, 2006 — Members of Congress and their aides accepted
more than $600,000 in free travel from pharmaceutical interests during a 5½-year
period in which drug company profits climbed, in part due to federal legislation
favorable to the industry.
Dozens of the trips were approved by lawmakers, who had significant
personal interests in the pharmaceutical industry or later worked with
drug-makers. Almost all of those same legislators voted in favor of the 2003
Medicare Prescription Drug Act, which led to a windfall of profits for the
industry.
"It's been a highly profitable trade-off" for pharmaceutical
companies, said James Love, a drug industry critic and the director of the
nonprofit Consumer Project on Technology. "They give out some free perks, hand
out some [rides on] private jets, sponsor some trips and give some campaign
donations. And in return, they make billions."

###