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PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

What is public disclosure.

Members, officers, and staff of the U.S. House of Representatives are required by certain House Rules and federal statutes to file official documents on travel, income, gifts, etc. and to make this information available to the public as Public Disclosure documents. These documents are filed with the Clerk of the House and are available from the Legislative Resource Center, B81 Cannon House Office Building, during normal office hours. The telephone number is (202) 226-5200. For information about documents or materials available for public inspection, please select a topic from the following list:

Reports and Filings

Financial Disclosure Reports include information about the source, type, amount, or value of the incomes of Members, officers, certain employees of the U.S. House of Representatives and related offices, and candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Reports of certain expenditures for all official foreign travel by Members and staff of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Information on the contents of unsolicited mass communications distributed by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Reports on travel-related expenses incurred by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives who are reimbursed by non­government sources and charitable contributions made in lieu of honoraria (a payment for services that does not have a set fee).

Reports on any legal expenses incurred by a candidate or Member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

View the names of the board members and staff of the Office of Congressional Ethics who have signed an agreement to not be a Congressional candidate until 3 years after their service as a board or staff member has ended.

Information concerning departing Members, Officers, and certain covered House employees previously notified regarding statutory post-employment restrictions on lobbying and other activities and the beginning and ending dates of those restrictions.

View cost estimates prepared by the Congressional Budget Office.

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Who Must File

Spouse and Dependent Information

Transactions

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Travel Reimbursements

Compensation in Excess of $5,000 Paid by One Source

The Ethics in Government Act mandated annual financial disclosure by all senior federal personnel, including all Members and some employees of the House. 25   The Ethics Reform Act of 1989 26 substantially revised these provisions and condensed what had been different requirements for each branch into one uniform title covering the entire federal government.  As such, Financial Disclosure Statements must disclose outside compensation, holdings, and business transactions, generally for the calendar year preceding the filing date.  In all instances, filers may disclose additional information or explanation at their discretion.

The Committee on Ethics develops forms and instructions for financial disclosure and reviews the completed statements of House Members, officers, employees, candidates, and certain other legislative branch personnel for compliance with applicable laws.  The Clerk of the House is responsible for making the forms available for public inspection.  The discussion that follows focuses primarily on those requirements that apply to Members, officers, and employees of the House.  The instruction booklets issued by the Committee should be consulted for specific guidance when completing a Financial Disclosure Statement.

All Members of the House and those House employees earning “above GS-15,” that is, at least 120% of the federal GS-15 base level salary, for at least 60 days during the calendar year must file a Financial Disclosure Statement by May 15 of each year.  For 2024, the triggering salary, referred to as the “senior staff rate,” is $147,649.  Employees who are paid at this rate are termed “senior” or “covered” employees.  Each Member’s office must also have at least one employee who files (this individual is referred to as the “principal assistant”).  Thus, if a Member has no employee on his or her personal staff who is paid at the senior staff rate, the Member must designate at least one member of his or her staff as a principal assistant to file.  As the Committee first stated in its 1969 financial disclosure instructions, this person will usually be an employee whose relationship with the Member permits the person, under some circumstances, to act in the Member’s name or with the Member’s authority.

Individuals are required to file a Financial Disclosure Statement once they “qualify” as a candidate by raising or spending more than $5,000 in a campaign for election to the House of Representatives.  Both the office-seeker’s own funds and contributions from third parties count towards the threshold.  An individual who never raises or spends more than $5,000 has no financial disclosure obligations with the House, even if that person’s name appears on an election ballot. All individuals who do meet this definition must file each year that they continue to be candidates. The deadline for filing the Financial Disclosure Statement depends on whether you qualify as a candidate in an election or non-election year. 

If you qualify as a candidate during an election (even-numbered) year , then you must file a Financial Disclosure Statement within 30 days of becoming a candidate or May 15 of that year, whichever is later .  There are two exceptions to this general rule: First, a qualifying candidate must file no later than 30 days before any election (including primaries) in which the individual is participating.  Thus, if you become a candidate on January 5 in an election year and the primary is on April 22, the report is due by March 23 (no later than 30 days before the election).  Second, if a candidate crosses the $5,000 threshold within the 30-day period prior to an election, the candidate must file the Financial Disclosure Statement immediately after he or she raises or spends more than $5,000.  Candidates in a special election also follow this filing rule.

If you qualify during a non-election (odd-numbered) year , then you must file a Financial Disclosure Statement within 30 days of becoming a candidate or May 15 of that year, whichever is later .  You are then required to file a subsequent Statement on May 15 of the following year if you are still a candidate on that date . If you lose a primary election before May 15, then you are not required to file the Statement.

In general, reporting individuals must disclose the financial interests of their spouses and dependent children, in addition to their own. 28   Only in rare circumstances, when the financial interest of a spouse or dependent child meets all three standards listed below, may a filer omit disclosure of an asset:

(1)  The item is the sole interest or responsibility of the spouse or dependent child, and the reporting individual has no knowledge of the item;

(2)  The item was not in any way, past or present, derived from the income, assets, or activities of the reporting individual; and

(3)  The reporting individual neither derives, nor expects to derive, any financial or economic benefit from the item. 29

An individual is not required to disclose financial information about a spouse from whom he or she has separated with the intention of terminating the marriage or providing for a permanent separation. 30

Example 1 .  Member A sets up an account in his 10-year-old daughter’s name, into which he deposits funds that he has earmarked to pay for her college education.  Member A must disclose the account.

Example 2.   Member B’s husband has a stock portfolio, entirely in his own name.  He uses the income from these investments to finance family vacations and other non-routine family expenses.  Member B must disclose the contents of the stock portfolio.

Example 3.   Member C’s wife inherits some real estate.  She is the sole owner, but C will inherit the land if his wife predeceases him.  C must disclose the property.

    The term “income,” as defined in the Ethics in Government Act, is intended to be comprehensive.  For reporting purposes, income is divided into two categories, “earned” and “unearned” income.  Each type of income is explained more fully in this section. 

     Earned Income and Honoraria.   “Earned” income refers to compensation derived from employment or personal efforts.  Such income earned by the filer must be disclosed when it totals $200 or more from any one source in a calendar year.  The source, type, and exact dollar amount of the reporting individual’s earnings must be stated. 31   A filer must report the source, but not the amount, of income earned by a spouse when that income exceeds $1,000.  Earned income of a dependent child need not be reported, regardless of the amount. 32

    While Members, officers, and covered employees may not themselves receive honoraria, 33 reporting individuals must still disclose the source and amount of payments that are directed to charity in lieu of honoraria.  In addition, a confidential listing of the recipient charities must be filed separately with the Committee. 34   The source and exact dollar amount of spousal honoraria must be disclosed. 

     Assets and Unearned Income.   “Unearned” income refers to income derived from property held for investment or the production of income, such as real estate, stocks, bonds, savings accounts, and retirement accounts.  Any asset held for such an investment purpose must be disclosed if it either was worth more than $1,000 at the close of the calendar year or it generated income of more than $200 during the year. 35 Where the value of an item is difficult to determine, a good faith estimate of fair market value may be used.

    The identity of the property, in addition to its category of value, 36 must be specified.  Each company in which stock worth over $1,000 is held must be listed separately.  Except in limited circumstances, the filer must disclose the specific contents of any investment account, private retirement account (e.g., a 401(k) or IRA), or education savings account (i.e., a “529 plan”).  In other words, the EIGA requires disclosure of each asset held within such an account that meets the value or income tests described above.  Disclosure of real property should include a description sufficient to permit its identification (e.g., street address or plat and map location).

    Interest-bearing savings accounts valued at more than $1,000 must be disclosed only if all such accounts total more than $5,000 in value.  Savings accounts include certificates of deposit, money market accounts, or any other form of deposit in a bank, savings and loan association, credit union, or similar financial institution.  Non-interest-bearing checking accounts, on the other hand, need not be disclosed since they produce no income.  Financial interests in United States government retirement programs (e.g., the Thrift Savings Plan) need not be reported. 

Example 4.   Member D has a stock portfolio, managed by a stock broker.  Member D must disclose each stock in the portfolio that is worth more than $1,000 at the end of the year or generates more than $200 in income during the year.

Example 5.   Member E Lists $1,200 worth of stock in Company Z on her Financial Disclosure Statement.  Over the next year, the company suffers losses such that it declares no dividends during the year and E’s stock declines in value to $900 by year’s end.  E need not disclose her stock in Z on her next Financial Disclosure Statement.  (However, for the sake of clarity, E may wish to list her stock in Z nonetheless, indicating a value of less than $1,000, rather than delete the asset from her latest filing without explanation.) 

Example 6.   Member F has $10,000 invested in a money market account with a brokerage firm.  The money market fund is managed by an employee of the firm who invests the fund’s assets in stocks.  Individual investors like F have no control over which stocks the fund holds.  F must disclose his investment in the overall fund, but he need not list the individual stocks held within the fund’s portfolio.

Example 7.   Member G’s wife has an IRA worth $12,000.  Member G must disclose each asset held in the IRA that is worth more than $1,000 at year end or that generated more than $200 in income during the calendar year.

    The holdings of and income derived from a trust or other financial arrangement in which the reporting individual, spouse, or dependent child has a beneficial interest in principal or income generally must be disclosed.  The three instances when such assets need not be disclosed are when they are held in (1) a qualified blind trust, (2) a qualified diversified trust, or (3) a trust which was not created by the beneficiary and regarding which neither the reporting individual, spouse, nor dependent child have specific knowledge of the holdings or sources of income. 37   Even for such trusts, the category of value of any unearned trust income must be reported if it exceeds $200.  Both qualified blind trusts and qualified diversified trusts must be pre-approved by the Standards Committee. 

    Loans made by the filer on which the filer is charging interest must be disclosed, unless the borrower is the spouse, parent, sibling, or child of the filer.  Personal residences not producing rental income, and personal property not held primarily for investment or the production of income (such as artwork displayed in one’s home) need not be reported.

Example 8.   Member H owns a vacation home, which she uses for one month during the year.  The rest of the time, she allows family members and close friends to use it at no charge.  H need not disclose this property.

Example 9.   Member I owns a vacation home, which he uses for one month during the year.  The rest of the time, he rents it out.  I must disclose this property.

Example 10.   Member J’s home includes a basement apartment that he rents to a tenant for $800 a month.  H must disclose this rental income, as well as the property that generated it.  The “asset value” is the value of the entire home, not just the basement apartment.

Example 11.   Member K owns an antique car worth $50,000.  K never uses the car for commercial purposes; he uses it exclusively for his personal enjoyment.  K need not disclose the car.

    The Financial Disclosure Statement must include a brief description, the date, and category of value of any purchase, sale, or exchange of real property, stocks, bonds, commodities, futures, or other forms of securities (including trust assets) that exceeds $1,000. 38   The category of value to be reported is the total purchase or sale price (or the fair market value in the case of an exchange), regardless of any capital gain or loss on the transaction.

    Stock and commodity options, futures contracts, and bonds (corporate and government) are considered types of securities.  As such, transactions in these items are reportable.  Transactions by a partnership in which the reporting individual has an interest must be disclosed when the partnership is organized for the investment or production of income and is not actively engaged in a trade or business.  These partnership transactions need only be reported, however, to the extent that the filer’s share of the transaction exceeds $1,000.

    The purchase or sale of property used solely as a personal residence (including a secondary residence not used for rental purposes) of the reporting individual or spouse and transactions solely by and between the reporting individual and his or her spouse or dependent children need not be disclosed.  Likewise, the opening or closing of bank accounts, the purchase or sale of certificates of deposit, and contributions to or the rollover of IRAs and other retirement plans need not be reported.

Example 12.   Member L sells stock in Company Z for $5,000, realizing a $700 capital loss.  L must report the $5,000 sale as a transaction.  L may add that the sale represents a loss if she so chooses, but this information is not required.

Example 13.   Member M has a 25% interest in a partnership that buys and sells real estate for investment purposes.  The partnership buys a piece of property for $400,000.  M must disclose the partnership’s purchase, in the category of value reflecting his $100,000 share of the transaction.

Information regarding asset transactions is not required of congressional candidates or new employees.

    Personal obligations aggregating over $10,000 owed to one creditor at any time during the calendar year, regardless of repayment terms or interest rates, must be listed. 39   The identity (name of the creditor), type, and amount of the liability must be stated.  Except for revolving charge accounts (i.e., credit cards), the largest amount owed during the calendar year is the value to be reported.  For revolving charge accounts, the year-end balance is used; if the account balance declines by the year’s end to $10,000 or less, no reporting is required.

    Just as personal liabilities owed to a reporting individual by certain relatives need not be reported as assets, liabilities owed  by a reporting individual to a spouse, parent, sibling, or child of the filer or of the filer’s spouse need not be listed. Personal loans secured by motor vehicles, household furniture, or appliances need not be disclosed as long as the indebtedness does not exceed the purchase price of the item. For staff, mortgages and home equity loans secured by a personal residence (including secondary residences not used for rental purposes) need not be disclosed. However, Members are required to report mortgages or home equity loans on any real property (including a personal residence) owned by them, or their spouse or dependent children.  Filers need not report contingent liabilities, such as that of a guarantor, endorser, or surety; liabilities of a business in which the reporting individual has an interest; loans secured by the cash value of a life insurance policy; and tax deficiencies.

    The Ethics in Government Act requires disclosure of gifts received during the year, from someone other than a relative, whose aggregate value exceeds “minimal value,” as defined in the statute.  For 2024, “minimal value” is $480, but gifts valued below $192 need not be counted toward this limit. 40   Gifts valued below “minimal value” need not be reported.  However, because the House gift rule (House Rule 25, clause 5) limits the value of gifts that Members, officers, and employees of the House may accept in a calendar year from any source other than a relative or fellow Member, 41 few gifts exceeding this dollar amount are acceptable. 

    Notwithstanding the limitations on gift acceptance, there are gifts valued in excess of $480 which a House Member, officer, or employee may accept that exceed the reporting threshold and for which disclosure must therefore be made on a Financial Disclosure Statement.  Examples of such gifts include gifts provided on the basis of personal friendship, contributions to a legal expense fund, and commemorative items that exceed the reporting threshold.  As a general matter, in each of these instances, the recipient must first seek written approval from the Committee prior to accepting such a gift. 

Example 14.   Member N obtains written permission from the Committee to accept from a personal friend $500 in travel expenses to attend their college reunion.  Member N must report the gift.   

    The rule contains a number of exceptions to the reporting requirement.  Gifts from relatives, personal hospitality, and local meals need not be disclosed.  “Personal hospitality” means hospitality extended for a non-business purpose by an individual, at the individual’s residence or other property.  A “local meal” means a meal unconnected with a travel package, at which the host is present.  Gifts to a spouse or dependent child that are totally independent of the recipient’s relationship with the reporting individual are exempt from both the gift rule and the disclosure statute.  If not totally independent, gifts from third parties to a spouse or dependent child are treated the same as gifts to the reporting individual.  However, simultaneous gifts to the reporting individual and his or her spouse or dependent child may be treated as separate gifts for the purpose of determining whether the $192 aggregation threshold has been reached.

Example 15.   Member O receives from her father a gift of $10,000.  O need not disclose the gift because it is from a relative.

    The statute requires disclosure only of gifts received while the filer was a Member or employee of the House.  Thus, no information regarding gifts is required from filers who are congressional candidates or new House employees.

    Travel-related expenses provided by nongovernmental sources for activities such as attending a charity fundraiser, attending an event related to the filer's outside business or other activities, attending a non-federal campaign or fundraising event, or attending an event related to spouse or dependent child's job or activities are considered gifts, and they must be reported when they total more than $480 in value from one source in a year.  These expenses include those reimbursed to the reporting individual as well as those paid directly by the sponsoring organization.  Unlike with gifts, all travel expenses count towards the $480 limit; there is no $192 minimum threshold.  For reimbursements and gifts of travel, the Financial Disclosure Statement must list the source, travel itinerary, inclusive dates, and nature of expenses provided, but the dollar value of the travel need not be listed.  Travel paid for by a foreign government under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act (often referred to as “MECEA”) 42 must also be reported. 

Example 16.   Member P gives a speech in Chicago at a charity fundraiser.  The charity pays airfare, food, and lodging for P and his wife to attend.  The expenses for Mr. and Mrs. P exceed $480.  P must disclose the source, dates, and nature of the expenses, but he need not report any dollar amounts.

Example 17.   Member Q’s wife works for a law firm that holds an annual retreat at an out-of-state resort for all of its employees.  Each employee is allowed to bring his or her spouse, at the firm’s expense.  Q attends the retreat with his wife.  If the cost of Q’s attendance exceeds $480, he must report the trip on his statement, even though his attendance was unrelated to his official duties.   

Travel reported on federal campaign filings, such as Federal Election Commission reports, need not be disclosed on a Financial Disclosure Statement, nor need travel provided on an official basis by federal, state, or local government entity.  Travel provided by a foreign government pursuant to the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act 43 is disclosed on a separate form for that purpose, and thus need not be disclosed on a Financial Disclosure Statement.

The statute requires disclosure only of travel taken while the filer was a Member or employee of the House.  Thus, no information regarding travel is required from congressional candidates or new House employees.

Individuals must disclose any nongovernmental positions, whether or not compensated, that they currently hold, unless the Statement is the first one filed with the House.  On an individual’s first Statement, the individual must disclose all positions they currently hold as well as those held in the previous two years. 44   Included are such positions as officer, director, trustee, partner, proprietor, representative, employee, or consultant of any corporation, company, firm, partnership, or other business enterprise, any nonprofit organization, any labor organization, or any educational or other institution.  Positions held in a religious, social, fraternal, or political entity, and positions solely of an honorary nature need not be disclosed.

The title or nature of each position and the name of the organization should be stated.  Only positions held by the reporting individual need to be disclosed, not those held by a spouse or dependent child.

Any agreements or arrangements of the reporting individual concerning future employment, leave of absence during government service, continuation of payments from a private source, deferred compensation plans, or continued participation in an employee benefit or welfare plan of a former private employer must be disclosed. 45   The parties, dates, and terms should be reported by Members, officers, and employees.  This information is not required of a candidate, or of the spouse or dependent children of a filer.

Continued payments or benefits from a former employer would include, for example, interest in or contributions to a pension fund, profit-sharing plan, or life and health insurance; buyout agreements; and severance payments.  A deferred compensation plan would include an arrangement for the delayed payment of amounts due for services rendered by a reporting individual.  Deferred compensation is not subject to outside earned income limitations, but it is reportable.

Only agreements to which the reporting individual is a party need be disclosed, not those of a spouse or dependent child.

New officers and employees and candidates must disclose any compensation in excess of $5,000 received from a single source other than the United States. 46   Reporting individuals need disclose only their own compensation in this section, not that received by their spouses or children.  The information must cover two calendar years.

Specifically, a reporting individual who was a member or partner of a firm or association that provided services (such as legal, architectural, or accounting services) must disclose the clients or customers of that firm or association to whom he or she directly provided services. The clients or customers of a filer who was the sole proprietor of a business or professional practice must be disclosed in the same manner.  The nature of the duties performed only need be described generally.  Thus, a client name (which may be a company name, if the client is a corporation) and “legal services” would be sufficient for services rendered by an attorney.  The amount of compensation also need not be disclosed.

A reporting individual must usually provide the same information for trust assets and income as for other items, with three exceptions.  The first exception from reporting is for trusts that were not created by the reporting individual, his spouse, or dependent, when none of the three has specific knowledge of the holdings or the sources of income of the trust.  The other exceptions are for qualified blind trusts and qualified diversified trusts. 47

In a qualified blind trust , an official places financial assets under the exclusive control of an independent party.  All assets or holdings transferred to a trust at the time of its creation or any time thereafter must be identified, valued, and publicly disclosed.  Eventually, through the sale of existing assets and the acquisition of new ones, the identity of specific assets owned by the trust will be unknown to the official and will thus be eliminated as a factor in influencing official decision-making. 

    A qualified blind trust must satisfy a number of requirements, including the following:

The trustee must be an independent financial institution, lawyer, certified public accountant, broker, or investment advisor; 

There may be no restrictions on the disposal of the trust assets;

The trust instrument must limit communications between the trustee and interested parties; and

  The trust instrument and the trustee must be approved by the Standards Committee.

The third exception from trust disclosure is for a qualified diversified trust, an arrangement not generally well suited to use in the legislative branch because of the breadth of legislators’ official duties.  Such a trust must meet the following requirements:

The trust must consist of a diversified portfolio of readily marketable securities;

The trust assets may not consist of securities of entities having substantial activities in the area of primary responsibility of the reporting individual;

The trust instrument must prohibit the trustee from publicly disclosing or informing any interested party of the sale of any security;

The trustee must have power of attorney to prepare the personal income tax returns of the individual and any other returns that may contain information pertaining to the trust; and

 The trustee as well as the trust instrument must be approved in advance by the Committee.

25  Pub. L. 95-521, 92 Stat. 1824 (Oct. 26, 1978).  Legislative branch disclosure requirements were then codified at 2 U.S.C. § 701 et seq.

26  Pub. L. 101-194, 103 Stat. 1716 (Nov. 30, 1989), amended by Pub. L. 101-280, 104 Stat. 149 (May 4, 1990), and Pub. L. 102-90, 105 Stat. 447 (Aug. 14, 1991).

27  The “more than $5,000” threshold is the same as that provided for in the Federal Election Campaign Act as requiring registration as a candidate with the Federal Election Commission.  See   2 U.S.C. § 431(2). 

28  5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 102(e)(1).

29  Id. § 102(e)(1)(E).  See also House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, In the Matter of Representative Geraldine A. Ferraro, H. Rep. 98-1169, 98th Cong., 2d Sess. (1984) (finding, in part, that the Member was unable to claim spousal exemption when she derived some personal benefit – such as payment of mortgage or household expenses – from spouse’s employment or financial interests).

30  5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 102(e)(2).

31  Id. § 102(a)(1)(A).

32   Id. § 102(e)(1)(A).

33  See Chapter 5 of this Manual for a discussion of the honoraria ban.

34  5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 102(a)(1)(A).

35  Id. § 102(a)(3), (a)(1)(B).

36  Except for earned income, the exact value of financial interests need not be disclosed; only the range within which an item falls – called the “category of value” – is required.

37  5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 102(f)(2).

38  Id. § 102(a)(5).

39   Id. § 102(a)(4).

40  Minimal value for purposes of disclosure under EIGA is the same as that for the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, 5 U.S.C. § 7342(a)(5).  Pursuant to that statute, the General Services Administration sets the minimal value every three years.  Minimal value for calendar years 2008 through 2011 is $335.  See 73 Fed. Reg. 7475 (Feb. 8, 2008).

41  See Chapter 2 of this Manual for more information on the rules pertaining to gifts. 

42  22 U.S.C. § 2458a.

43  5 U.S.C. § 7342.

44  5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 102(a)(6)(A).

45  Id. § 102(a)(7).

46  Id. § 102(a)(6)(B).

47  Id. § 102(f).

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August 9, 2019

Congressional Travel Rules

By Caralyn Esser and Craig Holman

Read the .PDF of Congressional Travel Rules

Travel by Members, Senators and congressional staff are subject to specific requirements described in the Rules of the House of Representatives and the Standing Rules of the Senate. Usually the travel regulations are similar for both houses of Congress, but the House and Senate separately approved rules governing privately-sponsored travel with minor differences.

According to the rules, travel expenses usually include transportation, lodging, food and refreshments, [1] but not expenditures for entertainment or recreational activities. [2] The travel rules are distinguished from the gift rules largely by geographical radius around the Capitol or a Member’s home district. Within a 35-mile radius of the Capitol or home district, the gift rules dominate. Outside that 35-mile radius, many of the gift rules, such as limits on expenditures for meals and hospitality, are superseded by the travel rules. [3] (Occasional travel expenses within the 35-mile radius are permitted for giving speeches.)

Types of Travel

Seven types of travel are governed by congressional rules:

• Travel in connection with the individual’s official duties that is paid for by a private source;
• Travel entirely unrelated to official duties that is paid for by a private source;
• Travel entirely unrelated to official duties that is paid for by a personal friend;
• Travel paid for by the Federal Government, or by a state or local government;
• Travel paid for by a foreign government or an international organization;
• Travel for a political purpose that is paid for by a political organization; and
• Official travel paid for or authorized by the House or

All seven types of travel are subject to different sets of regulations that are summarized below.

I.A.   Officially Connected Travel Paid by a Private Source – General Requirements

Privately-sponsored travel for officially-related purposes is the type of travel that had been most commonly subject to abuse. This is where private entities – corporations, unions and other special interest groups – provide free transportation, meals and lodging for Members, Senators and staff for “officially-connected duties,” such as giving a speech to constituents, participating in a conference, or attending a fact-finding trip. Until passage of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (S. 1), these trips often used to be little more than junkets, as lobbyists made use of the laxer travel rules to wine and dine Members, Senators and congressional staff on behalf of paying clients. Such abuses were the source of the new House and Senate travel rules restricting the role of lobbyists and lobbying organizations on officially- connected trips.

Today, a Member, Senator, or staff may accept travel expenses to attend a meeting, speaking engagement, fact-finding trip or similar event related to official duties, from a private source only if:

a) The private source is directly and immediately associated with the event and the location of the event bears a relationship to the officially-connected purpose of the trip. [4] When a non-profit organization, for instance, pays for officially-connected travel, the organization must (1) be publicly disclosed as a trip sponsor on the applicable travel disclosure forms and (2) be directly involved in the event. If the organization pays the travel expenses with donations that are earmarked, either formally or informally, for the trip, each such donor is deemed a “private source” for the trip and must be disclosed and intimately involved in the event. In terms of location, the rules distinguish between travel to locations arranged without regard to congressional participation, which is deemed presumptively reasonable, as opposed to travel arranged largely for congressional participation, which must be located at a site directly related to official business.

b)  The private source is not a registered lobbyist or a registered foreign agent. [5]

• The prohibition against accepting travel expenses from a registered lobbyist, an agent of a foreign principal, or a lobbying firm applies even when the lobbyist, agent or firm will later be reimbursed for those expenses by a non-lobbyist
• “Registered lobbyist” is any person registered under the [6]
• “Foreign agent” covers any person registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, usually foreign governments or entities supported by foreign governments. [7] However, the Members, Senators and staff of Congress may accept some specific travel expenses from foreign agents subject to regulations of other types of travel – travel paid for by a foreign government or an international organization outside the United
• Important additional requirements restricting the role of lobbying organizations are discussed

c)  Travel expenditures cover brief time periods. [8]

• For the House it is limited to four days total for domestic trips and seven days for trips outside the United States, excluding days taken in whole or in part in traveling to and from the United
• For the Senate the limits are three and seven days respectively (in both cases time of traveling is excluded).
• A Member, Senator or staff can travel beyond the day limits if he or she is participating in consecutive but distinctive trips financed by different organizations, or he or she is willing to extend the trip at his or her own expense. In the latter case, the Member, Senator or staff may still accept return transportation.

d) The private source offers to cover only transportation, lodging and related expenses that are necessary to accomplish the purpose of the trip, and thus it may not always be proper to accept expenses for the full three-, four- or seven-day period. [9] The new House and Senate rules further stipulate that travel expenses should be “reasonable.” Reasonable expenses are defined as expenses commensurate with other attendees at an event that is organized without regard to congressional participation (e.g. academic conference), or expenses compatible with per diem rates for trips organized largely for congressional participation (e.g. fact-finding trip).

e) Travel expenditures regarding entertainment or recreational activities are generally not permitted. [10] However, Members, Senators and staff may accept such expenditures if they are provided to all attendees as an integral part of the event, or alternatively if they conform to the gift

f) No more than one relative accompanies a Member, Senator or employee of Congress at the expense of the private sponsor. [11] A Member, Senator or staff may accept payment from a private sponsor for the expenses of one relative only, not a spouse and a child. However, the Member, Senator or staff can be accompanied by other individuals at his or her own expense.

This provision has recently come under closer scrutiny for its tax implications. The IRS requires that payments by a private source for the travel of a family member, if the family member is not serving a bona fide business purpose, as additional income to the recipient, subject to tax. Public Citizen filed a complaint with the IRS alleging that many, if not all, Members, Senators and staff routinely fail to report this income and pay taxes on it. The congressional ethics committees have no rule or advice to Members, Senators and staff of the potential tax implications of family travel paid for by a third party.

g) After each trip taken by a Member, Senator or staff a travel disclosure form that lists the expenses by the private source must be completed, signed and filed with the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate. [12] The form must include good faith estimates of the transportation, lodging, meal and other expenses paid, set out separately, and a determination that such expenses were ‘necessary’ and related to the individual’s official duties. In the House, this disclosure form must be filed within 15 days of returning from the trip. In the Senate, the disclosure form must be filed within 30 days of the trip. Furthermore, Members, Senators and officers, as well as employees who file a Financial Disclosure Statement, must also disclose each such trip on Schedule VII of their annual financial disclosure

I.B.   Officially Connected Travel Paid by a Private Source – Specific Requirements Relative to Different House and Senate Rules

a) Trips sponsored by lobbying organizations [13]

1.In the House , a private entity that retains or employs a lobbyist is prohibited from sponsoring officially-connected travel , except in the following limited circumstances:

• The trip is pre-approved by the ethics
• The trip is for a one-day event, exclusive of travel time and one night’s
• A second night’s stay may be permitted if it is necessary to accomplish the purpose of the one-day
• An institution of higher education, even if it hires a lobbyist, is exempt from the one-day trip.

2.In the Senate , registered lobbyists and the entities that employ them are prohibited from sponsoring officially-connected travel, except in the following limited circumstances:

• The trip is pre-approved by the ethics committee
• The trip is necessary to participate in a one day (travel time excluded) meeting or speaking engagement, fact-finding trip or similar
• A second night’s stay may be permitted if it is necessary to accomplish the purpose of the trip.
• A 501(c)(3) charity, even if it hires a lobbyist, is exempt from the one-day trip

b)  Lobbyist participation in travel events [14]

• In the House , registered lobbyists are prohibited from participating in travel events, except for de minimis Even for permissible one-day events sponsored by a lobbying organization, a lobbyist may participate in meetings at the destination of the trip, but the lobbyist cannot accompany the Member or staff on the travel; organize, finance or arrange the trip; or participate in more than a negligible fashion in the event. This restriction on lobbyist participation does not apply to an event sponsored by an institution of higher learning. Nevertheless, registered lobbyists and agents of foreign principals may not directly finance any trips.
• In the Senate , registered lobbyists may not plan, organize, arrange or participate in officially-connected trips except for de minimis Even for permissible one-day events sponsored by a lobbying organization, a lobbyist may participate in meetings at the destination of the trip, but the lobbyist cannot accompany the Senator or staff on the travel; organize, finance or arrange the trip; or participate in more than a negligible fashion in the event. This restriction on lobbyist participation does not apply to events sponsored by a 501(c)3 charity. However, the restriction does apply to events sponsored by charities. Nevertheless, registered lobbyists and agents of foreign principals may not directly finance any trips.

c)  Transportation of Members and Senators by corporate jets [15]

• In the House , Members may not use official, personal or campaign funds to pay for the use of privately-owned aircraft on trips, unless the aircraft is owned by the Member, a family member or a personal friend. Since privately-sponsored trips are considered reimbursement to the House, a private entity may not supply a private jet at no cost for an officially-connected trip. A sponsor may pay for up to business-class transportation on commercial aircraft or rail. A private source may provide charter fare or first-class fare only if it can be demonstrated necessary to accommodate a disability, security concerns, or other exceptional
• In the Senate , Members and employees are required to pay full market value for airfares (charter rates) for flights on private jets not operated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), except if the aircraft is owned or leased by the Senator involved or an immediate family member of the Senator (including an aircraft owned by an entity that is not a public corporation in which the candidate or an immediate family member of the candidate has an ownership interest), so long as the Senator does not use the aircraft more than the candidate’s or immediate family member’s proportionate share of ownership allows. The term `immediate family member’ means, with respect to a Senator, a father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, husband, wife, father-in-law, or mother-in-law.

d)  Formal approval of trips [16]

• In the House , all privately-sponsored trips for Members and staff must be pre-approved by the House ethics committee . The committee must certify both the sponsor and the nature of the trip prior to travel. The sponsor must submit written certification that it will abide by all the conditions and restrictions regarding the payment, arranging and participation in the event. Members and staff must also receive written approval that the trip complies with the restrictions on duration, location and purpose of congressional travel. Pre-approval authorizations are made immediately available to the public. Post-travel disclosure of expenses is required within 15 days after the traveler
• In the Senate , all privately-sponsored trips for Senators and staff must be pre-approved by the Senate ethics committee. The committee must certify both the sponsor and the nature of the trip prior to travel. The sponsor must submit written certification that it will abide by all the conditions and restrictions regarding the payment, arranging and participation in the event.

Senators and staff must also receive written approval that the trip complies with the restrictions on duration, location and purpose of congressional travel. Pre-approval authorizations are made immediately available to the public. Post-travel disclosure of expenses is required within 30 days after the traveler returns.

II.   Travel Unrelated to Official Duties and Paid by a Private Source [17]

A Member, Senator or employee of Congress may accept transportation, lodging, meals and other benefits unrelated to official duties paid for by a private source if it is related to outside business or employment. This type of travel is not as strictly regulated as officially connected travel – it is not subject to time limits, the limitation that only one relative may accompany, or the prohibition on recreational activities.

But two important restrictions still apply:

• The travel benefits may not have been offered or enhanced because of the official position of the Member, Senator or staff
• The benefits must be identical to those customarily provided to others in similar business circumstances.

Unlike officially-connected travel, the travel expenditures unrelated to official duties should not be reported on the 15-day travel disclosure forms filed with the Clerk of the House or the 30-day travel disclosure forms filed with the Secretary of the Senate. But unofficial travel funded by a private source that exceeds $250 in value in a calendar year must be reported on Schedule VII of the annual Financial Disclosure Statements of Members and those employees required to file an annual statement.

III.   Travel Unrelated to Official Duties and Paid by Personal Friend [18]

This kind of travel is subject to regulations imposed on other unofficial travel paid for by a private source (see above). In addition, if travel expenditures exceed $250 in value they may not be accepted on the basis of personal friendship unless the ethics committee issues a written determination that the personal friendship provision applies. Therefore, Members, Senators and congressional staff should submit an advance written request to the Committee. This request and the Committee’s response are confidential. Usually, travel paid for on the basis of personal friendship that exceeds $250 in value should be reported on the annual Financial Disclosure Statement but under some circumstances the Committee may waive the reporting requirement.

IV.   Travel Paid for by Federal, State or Local Government [19]

The gift rules of both houses of Congress allow accepting travel from any governmental entity in the United States. This type of travel is not considered a gift and does not have any regulations regarding trip duration, spouses or children. Such trips don’t have to be disclosed on either the travel disclosure forms or on annual Financial Disclosure Statements.

V.   Travel Paid for by a Foreign Government or International Organization [20]

The U.S. Constitution prohibits Members, Senators and employees of Congress from receiving gifts including travel, from a foreign state or its representative without the consent of Congress. That’s why Congress has consented to the acceptance of travel by the officials only in limited circumstances – under the provisions of the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act (FGDA) and the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act (MECEA). Both acts contain very complicated and distinctive sets of regulations. The basic features include:

Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act:

• Any travel paid for by a foreign government under FGDA regulations must relate directly to the official duties of the Member, officer, or
• That Act defines the term of “foreign government” to include not only foreign governments per se but also international or multinational organizations whose membership is composed of units of foreign governments, and any agent or representative closely affiliated with such a government or organization while acting as such.
• The trip must take place totally outside of the United States to be consistent with the interests of the United States and be permitted by the Standards
• Travel expenses for an accompanying spouse or dependent may be accepted.
• Travel is usually subject to the seven-day limit when it is taken in connection with a trip that is otherwise paid for with private
• Such travel expenses should be disclosed within 30 days after leaving the host country in a special form filed with the ethics committee, but they should not be reported on the annual Financial Disclosure

Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act:

• This Act applies to travel related to cultural exchange programs that finance visits and interchanges between the United States and other
• Members and congressional staff may accept travel expenses from a foreign government in order to participate in MECEA programs approved by the Director of the United States Information
• Such travel expenses are not considered gifts and are to be paid by the sponsoring government, not by any private
• Under MECEA, the traveling Member, officer or employee may not accept travel expenses for a spouse or
• Travel expenses associated with approved exchange cultural programs do not need to be disclosed on the travel disclosure forms, but they must be reported on the annual Financial Disclosure Statement.

VI.   Travel Paid for by a Political Organization [21]

A Member, Senator or employee of Congress may accept travel expenses provided by a political organization or party committee in connection with a fundraising or campaign event sponsored by that organization. These are campaign trips in support of a candidate or party committee. If expenses are paid for by the political organization, it is considered either an in-kind contribution from the political organization to the campaign or a party expenditure. The travel expenses may also be paid for or reimbursed by the campaign itself. These expenses are not to be reported on the travel disclosure forms. The expenses need be reported on the annual Financial Disclosure Statement of the Member or staff only if that travel is not filed with the Federal Election Commission.

VII.   Official Travel Paid for or Authorized by the House or Senate [22]

Official travel usually includes travel paid for out of Congressional funds, as well as the travel of Members, Senators or staff abroad as part of an official delegation. All official travel must be paid for or authorized by the House or Senate. A private source generally may not pay any portion of the expenses of a trip having an official purpose. Official travel is not to be reported either on the travel disclosure forms or on the annual Financial Disclosure Statement. There are surprisingly few regulations, and very little oversight and public disclosure, of official taxpayer funded travel.

VIII.   CODEL Reforms

In May of 2010, the former speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi issued new limits for House members. The new limits restrict members of the house from flying business-class unless the scheduled flight time exceeds 14 hours. Members of committees must seek authorization for travel for oversight purposes. The Speaker made a point to emphasize that DOD aircraft support is extremely limited and stipulated that it be requested through the Office of Interparliamentary Affairs and not the DOD directly. Finally, the new rules designate a quarterly filing period in which travel expenditures must be disclosed to the Clerk of the House [ 23 ].

Prepared by Bryan Kappe, Public Citizen (May 2011)

Making Government Work

Protecting Democracy : Ethics & Lobbying Reform , Money in Politics

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Gift Rules for the Executive Branch

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Agency travel and relocation reporting

GSA collects and reports on agency travel data for first and business class travel, senior federal travel, and business and relocation travel.

First class and business class transportation reporting

Each agency must report all first class and business class transportation used by federal employees while traveling for official business in the GSA Travel Reporting Tool by December 30 of each year. If the agency does not have any first class and business class travel data to report, they must submit a negative report.

Within this report, agencies must justify each use of first class and business class travel. This requirement applies to travel by air, train, or ship. Authority for travel reporting comes from Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) Part 300-70 .

Senior federal travel reporting

Each agency must report information twice a year on senior federal officials and non-federal travelers who fly aboard their government aircraft in the GSA Travel Reporting Tool . Each year, data for the period from October 1 to March 31 is due on April 30, and data for the period from April 1 to September 30 is due on October 31. If the agency does not have data to submit, but owns a government aircraft, it must submit a negative report.

You can find regulations regarding management, control, and travel on government aircraft in 41 CFR 300-3 , 301-10.260/266 , 301-70.800/808 , and 301-70.900/910 , and in OMB Circular A-126 , "Improving the Management and Use of Government Aircraft."

Business and relocation travel reporting

Each agency must report all business and relocation travel as part of their agency's Travel Reporting Information Profile (TRIP) in the GSA Travel Reporting Tool .

According to the Modernizing Government Travel Act [PDF] , agencies must report their summarized total travel and relocation expenditures by November 30 of each year for the previous fiscal year. GSA reviews the information and submits a governmentwide report to Congress by January 31. Agency data is available to the public on the Business Travel and Relocation Dashboard .

For more information, contact [email protected] .

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The End Date of your trip can not occur before the Start Date.

Traveler reimbursement is based on the location of the work activities and not the accommodations, unless lodging is not available at the work activity, then the agency may authorize the rate where lodging is obtained.

Unless otherwise specified, the per diem locality is defined as "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city, including independent entities located within those boundaries."

Per diem localities with county definitions shall include "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city as well as the boundaries of the listed counties, including independent entities located within the boundaries of the key city and the listed counties (unless otherwise listed separately)."

When a military installation or Government - related facility(whether or not specifically named) is located partially within more than one city or county boundary, the applicable per diem rate for the entire installation or facility is the higher of the rates which apply to the cities and / or counties, even though part(s) of such activities may be located outside the defined per diem locality.

Taxpayers fund a first-class congressional foreign travel boom

Most taxpayers will never pay $10,000 in flights for an overseas trip, but in the year prior to the 2016 election, taxpayers paid for 557 such trips that each cost more than $10,000 for a member of Congress or a staffer.

Those five-digit global itineraries made up 40% of all individual congressional trips for which travel costs were publicly reported. By comparison, less than 0.2% of tickets purchased by the general public through U.S. travel agencies in 2015 and 2016 were more than $10,000, according to the Airlines Reporting Corp.

The pricey flights were part of a surge in foreign travel. Congress spent at least $14.7 million on taxpayer-funded trips in fiscal year 2016, a 27% increase over the year before, according to Congress’ own accounting.

And that may be a low estimate. The Treasury Department reported that congressional travel cost nearly $20 million last year, the highest figure ever recorded, based on data provided by the State Department, which arranges official foreign travel for lawmakers. Neither Treasury nor State would explain the discrepancy, but both agencies stood by the higher figure.

None of these totals include hundreds of other trips for which the military provides transportation; the costs of using those military aircraft are never disclosed.

Lawmakers make official trips abroad to confer with foreign officials, to visit U.S. military operations and to oversee projects funded by the U.S. government, among other things.

Congress does not pay for its own flights. Under a Korean War-era statute that was updated in the 1970s, the Treasury Department is directed to pay for congressional trips overseas from whatever funds it has available. Congress does not have to approve spending for its foreign travel each year, and there is no set dollar limit.

When members of Congress decide to travel abroad, the State Department makes the arrangements and Treasury pays the bills. So there is little incentive for lawmakers to keep travel costs down. Congressional committees report the trips in error-riddled tables printed in the Congressional Record.

The Congressional Record reports include hundreds of trips with jaw-dropping expenses.

In May 2016, four GOP congressmen and three staff members spent $90,000 on a five-day trip to Albania for a NATO summit. Rep Mike Turner, R-Ohio, made the trip for $7,055, but Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., spent $15,222 for transportation.

“The expenses are due to a last-minute return flight,” said Sensenbrenner spokeswoman Nicole Tieman.

Turner was also the low spender on a February 2016 trip to Belgium. Turner’s transportation expenses are listed as $499 for that trip; Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, spent $6,694 and Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., spent $11,396. Turner apparently transferred to another congressional delegation midway through, so the $499 does not reflect the full cost of his travels that week.

Sometime last summer (the Senate does not report travel dates), then-senator David Vitter, R-La., and one staff member from the Small Business Committee spent $37,000 to travel to the United Kingdom and back, according to the reports.

On the bright side, some of the most expensive trips are reporting errors. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., made a late 2016 trip to Georgia, Slovakia and the Ukraine with travel costs reported in the Congressional Record as $24,402.48. But his office says the actual airfare was around $13,000, and the senator had no role in choosing the flights.

Donnelly, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee’s Strategic Forces Subcommittee, made the trip “to review U.S.-supported efforts to counter the threat of Russian aggression and nuclear and biological terrorism on the ground in eastern Europe,” spokeswoman Sarah Rothschild said. “The Army, in coordination with the State Department, made all of the Senator’s travel arrangements, including selecting and booking his flights to Ukraine, Slovakia, and Georgia. ‎The State Department paid for the trip.”

Hundreds of congressional trips show no airfare at all because the lawmakers are flying on military aircraft, and the Pentagon simply absorbs the costs of the flights. But that does not mean the trips are without cost to the taxpayer. Beyond the military plane, there are on-the-ground costs generated for hotel rooms for security teams, State Department staff time, in-country transportation and the like.

In October 2015, House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling and six other lawmakers accompanied by six staff members racked up $98,613 in expenses on a weeklong trip to Germany, Switzerland and England — with no airfare, according to the report in the Congressional Record.

The big jump in congressional travel costs in 2016 — from around $11 million in fiscal year 2015 to either the congressional estimate of $15 million or the Treasury estimate of more than $19 million — was partly intentional. Both the House and Senate Intelligence committees saw enormous increases in their foreign travel because new Republican committee chairmen wanted to get out in the field more.

Foreign travel costs reported by the House Intelligence Committee jumped from $1.1 million to $1.9 million after Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., took over the chairmanship in 2015.

“The increased spending results from a directive issued by Chairman Nunes for (committee) members to spend more time in the field,” said spokesman Jack Langer. “When dealing with intelligence issues, that’s really the crucial way to gain relevant information. Additionally, HPSCI travel costs tend to be relatively high because Members often travel to unusual, hard-to-reach locations.”

Likewise, the Senate Intelligence Committee spent $330,000 on foreign trips in fiscal year 2015 but just under $1 million in fiscal 2016. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., became chairman of the committee in 2015.

"All committee travel is jointly approved by the chairman and vice chairman,” said Senate Intelligence Committee spokeswoman Becca Glover Watkins. “It is a priority for the Senate Intelligence Committee to conduct oversight in the field, and that was an important commitment the Committee made over the last two years.”

The Senate Armed Services Committee topped all other committees with a $2.1 million reported travel tab in 2016, up from $1.6 million the year before.

“In 2016, the global threat posed by ISIL and other terrorist groups, Russia’s destabilizing behavior in Eastern Europe and military intervention in Syria, and China’s assertiveness in the East and South China Seas drove increasing demand for rigorous congressional oversight,” said committee spokesman Dustin Walker. “The American people expect their elected representatives to hold the executive branch accountable not by taking its word, but by seeking out the ground truth wherever American blood and treasure are at risk.”

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Higgins Releases Preliminary Investigative Report

Aug 15, 2024 | Law & Crime , Media , Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA), a member of the Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump, released his preliminary investigative report, candidly discussing some of his objective findings following his “boots on the ground” trip to Butler, PA on August 4th, 5th and 6th.

The preliminary investigative report was submitted to Task Force Chairman Mike Kelly (R-PA) on August 12, 2024. The document was intended to foster discussion amongst Task Force members. It has been embargoed for several days pending authorization to release from the Task Force chain of command.

“As I have said, every question will be answered, every theory explored, and every doubt erased. The American people deserve the full truth on the attempted assassination of President Trump,” said Congressman Higgins. “Our investigative efforts are moving forward in good faith. The release of my preliminary investigative report is reflective of my desire to deliver transparency and reassurance to the American people.”

The preliminary report details some of Congressman Higgins’ findings thus far. However, it is not exhaustive, nor final.

Notable observations include:

• “U.S. Secret Service did not retrieve the radios that had been set aside for them by Butler County tactical command. The radio comms were properly and perfectly arranged during the extensive pre-mission planning.”
• “All 8 casings (from shots fired by Crooks) were recovered and are allegedly in proper possession of the FBI.”
• “The 9th shot fired on J13 was from a Butler SWAT operator from the ground about 100 yards away from the AGR building. Shot 9 hit Crooks’ rifle stock and fragged his face/neck/right shoulder area from the stock breaking up.”
• “The 10th (and, I believe, final) shot was fired from the southern counter-sniper team.”
• “My effort to examine Crooks’ body on Monday, August 5, caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact… the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after J13.”
• “The water tower was cleared by drone J13 AM by the County tactical commander, ESU Commander Lenz himself.”

Read Congressman Higgins’ preliminary investigative report here.

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Sniper shot Trump gunman's weapon and delayed him - report

A police sniper potentially saved lives by shooting the rifle of Donald Trump's would-be assassin and knocking him down, an investigation says.

According to a report by Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins, the sniper's bullet damaged Thomas Matthew Crooks's gun and disrupted his aim after he took his first shots in Butler, Pennsylvania. Moments later, a Secret Service sniper killed him.

The report comes as the Secret Service temporarily reassigns some bodyguards from President Joe Biden to Trump, according to US media.

Trump will also be given bulletproof glass protection to allow him to resume outdoor rallies.

The former president did not have the protection during his 13 July rally in Butler when a bullet nearly hit him squarely in the head.

Mr Higgins' report said a Butler SWAT operator was the first to fire at Trump's assassin - from 100 yards away.

The congressman said the sniper "ran towards the threat, running to a clear shot position directly into the line of fire".

Then, in a single shot, he fired at the gunman and hit part of his rifle, the report said.

This knocked the gunman off his position temporarily, but, "after just a few seconds", he "popped back up" before he was fatally shot by a Secret Service sharpshooter.

Crooks killed one crowd member and critically injured two others in the attack.

Security levels around the former president have increased since then.

New records obtained by ABC News detail internal discussions by local authorities about security planned the day of the assassination attempt, with the Butler County sheriff noting the "circus" and large crowds the rally would bring. The records also include text messages showing frustration by local authorities after the shooting.

Local authorities discussed the Secret Service requesting a sniper and overwatch support, along with counterassault teams and a quick reaction force.

In an email obtained by ABC News to Butler County's district attorney, Sgt. Edward Lenz of the Adams Township Police Department details that they planned to provide two snipers, a quick reaction force and two mobile counterassault teams.

The counterassault teams "would respond to and address an attack directed at the presidential candidate inside of the venue, whether it be a coordinated attack with multiple assailants, or a single attacker", he wrote.

He said the quick reaction force would respond to any "high-risk incidents occurring outside of the venue".

The records came after the transfer of Secret Service agents amid threats against Trump, 78. The move was made possible due to the reduced travel schedule of Mr Biden after he dropped out of the election race, according to a report in The New York Times.

The reassigned officers were responsible for either travelling with Mr Biden, or going in advance of him to set up security measures at an event, a source told the newspaper.

Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service, resigned on 23 July following a hearing at the US House of Representatives about the assassination attempt.

Politicians on the House Oversight Committee criticised the lack of information in her answers to their questions regarding security planning and how officers responded to reports of the gunman’s suspicious behaviour prior to the shooting.

Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was shot and killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper team after he fired eight bullets in Mr Trump’s direction from a rooftop just outside the rally's security perimeter.

The FBI is currently investigating the protection failure and political leaders in the US Congress have also started inquiries.

How the Secret Service failed Donald Trump

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350+ Travel Stats, Booking Vs. Expedia and Nashville’s Edge

Rashaad Jorden , Skift

August 16th, 2024 at 3:28 AM EDT

Today's podcast looks at Skift Research's latest mega-report on the state of travel, the marketing battles of Expedia and Booking Holdings, and new goals for Nashville.

Rashaad Jorden

Skift Daily Briefing Podcast

Listen to the day’s top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, August 16, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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Episode Notes

The Skift Research team on Thursday unveiled its State of Travel 2024 report , a 400-page document with over 350 slides on industry performance and consumer and business trends in travel.

The State of Travel 2024 is strong, reports head of research Seth Borko. Travel businesses are growing with healthy margins. The report contains information on, among other topics, the state of international travel after the pandemic. It contains detailed tourism figures for each major global region. In addition, the report examines some short-term issues, such as the likelihood of moderate growth in 2024 and beyond.   

Next, Booking Holdings and Expedia spent an enormous amount on marketing last year — nearly $13 billion combined. But there are key differences in how they spend, writes Senior Research Analyst Pranavi Agarwal. 

As a share of expenses, Agarwal notes Expedia spent more on marketing last year than it did in 2019 while Booking spent less. Expedia also needed to spend more than Booking to drive bookings. Expedia spent nearly 6% of its gross bookings on marketing in 2023 while Booking spent 4.5%. 

Skift Research’s analysis shows Booking has a higher return on ad spend from Google’s sponsored listings than Expedia in every region.  

Finally, Nashville has long been known as a popular destination for country music fans. But tourism officials in Tennessee’s capital are looking to branch out and attract mega events , writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. 

Deana Ivey, CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., said it is a key objective for the city. Nashville has its sights set on hosting the Super Bowl and Wrestle Mania, among other events. The city has already hosted the NASCAR Ally 400.   

Ivey said another priority is attracting more international visitors. She acknowledged Nashville needs nonstop flights from its largest overseas markets to help boost visitor numbers. 

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Tags: booking holdings , expedia , nashville , skift daily briefing , skift podcast , skift research , state of travel

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Tim Walz's long history with China

By Caitlin Yilek

August 9, 2024 / 8:30 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Thirty-five years before Vice President Kamala Harris named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, he was on his way to teach high school in mainland China as a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square took place in 1989.  

"As the events were unfolding, several of us went in," Walz said at a 2014 congressional hearing marking 25 years since the massacre. 

He recalled meeting a crowd of people in a Hong Kong train station who were "very angry that we would still go after what had happened." But Walz, who became fascinated with China during his youth, saw it as an opportunity. 

"It was my belief at that time that the diplomacy was going to happen on many levels, certainly people to people, and the opportunity to be in a Chinese high school at that critical time seemed to me to be really important," Walz said. 

In 2007, as a newly elected congressman, he told The Hill that "China was coming, and that's the reason that I went." 

His year teaching U.S. history, culture and English in Foshan, a city in the southeastern Chinese province of Guangdong, was the beginning of his decades-long relationship with China. It has opened him up to criticism from Republicans, who are trying to portray him as being weak on the communist-ruled nation, which is widely viewed as the greatest geopolitical threat and economic rival to the U.S.

Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, said Walz owes Americans "an explanation about his unusual" relationship with China. Morgan Ortagus, who was a Trump-era State Department spokesperson, claimed that "if Walz has his way, our China policy will be the weakest in generations." 

But Walz has spent his political career criticizing the Chinese government, especially its human rights record. 

After Walz returned to Nebraska following his year teaching abroad, he told the Star-Herald that if Chinese citizens "had the proper leadership, there are no limits on what they could accomplish." 

As of 2016, Walz had visited China about 30 times, including for his honeymoon. Walz married his wife, Gwen, a fellow teacher, on June 4, 1994 — the fifth anniversary of China's brutal repression of Tiananmen Square protests. 

"He wanted to have a date he'll always remember," she told the Star-Herald before they wed. For their honeymoon, the couple led dozens of American students on a tour through China. The couple continued the educational trips for years through their own travel company. 

Elected to Congress in 2006, Walz served on the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which focuses on human rights. He backed Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, garnering praise from activist Jeffrey Ngo. In 2017, he was the only lawmaker to co-sponsor the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which eventually passed in 2019. 

Walz has met with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled leader, and has been critical of China's aggression in the South China Sea. 

In a 2016 interview , Walz said he didn't "fall into the category that China necessarily needs to be an adversarial relationship," and said there could be "many areas of cooperation" between the U.S. and China. But he also said the relationship depends on China playing "by the rules." 

That same year, Walz said China's human rights record was "getting worse, not better." He suggested that separating China's human rights record from trade policies, which he previously supported, was a mistake. 

"I think the idea was, with a free-market economy, we would see a more opening of the Chinese grip on social life and on human rights. That simply has not occurred," Walz said during a House hearing . "We cannot decouple economic growth from human rights growth, and, as a nation, we need to hold those ideas up." 

Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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