WASHINGTON — All of those Sunday press conferences don’t come cheap, but at least Sen. Charles Schumer makes it home to New York frequently — unlike some colleagues.
Schumer, known for popping up on Sunday talk shows and staging press events for issues big and small, jets home more often than almost any other senator, an analysis of campaign travel reveals.
He also spent dramatically more than anyone else, racking up nearly $1 million in travel costs over the last three years, according to an analysis of office disbursements conducted by the Washington Examiner.
Schumer flew home more than any other Democrat except one, and was third overall among all 100 senators.
A March trip to upstate Binghamton and Rome cost $6,000, typical of his trips, which averaged nearly $8,000.
By comparison, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made it home to Nevada only 11 times over three years, the paper reported.
Schumer racked up the sky-high costs by taking a small private propeller plane, a Piper Navajo Chieftan 350, on his frequent trips upstate – though he flies commercial when he goes straight from DC to the city.
“It is not possible to keep [this] rigorous a schedule by flying on commercial airlines alone, so he also travels on a small, four-seat propeller plane with no bathroom that’s not even big enough to stand up in,” said Schumer spokesman Matt House.
Colleague Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) took 105 trips over three years, costing $275,000, putting her in sixth place, though her travel bill was about a third of Schumer’s.
The most traveled senator was Democrat Tom Carper, who took 145 trips at a cost of $34,000 to his home state of Delaware, the nation’s second smallest.