
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, December 28, 1993                   TAG: 9312280035
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

LAWMAKERS' TRAVEL A STRAIN ON MILITARY

Members of Congress are spread across the globe during the Capitol's two-month holiday recess, straining the capacity of military aircraft to carry them on far-flung fact-finding trips.

At least two dozen trips by committees, delegations and individual lawmakers have been scheduled this month and next to destinations such as Moscow, China, Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean. And that doesn't count travel by congressional staff.

Congressional recesses always are a peak travel time. But trips are so numerous now that resources are being strained.

A White House team traveling to Moscow Dec. 12-19 to prepare for a January summit meeting was forced to take a plane with limited range not normally used for overseas trips, because all larger aircraft were claimed by congressional delegations and senior administration officials.

The Middle East was the destination of a five-member delegation led by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dennis DeConcini, D-Ariz. The group's itinerary included stops in Israel, Egypt and other countries in the region.

And a House Armed Services Committee delegation led by Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, checked out the "quality of life" for U.S. military personnel in South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, with a stopover in Hawaii on the way home.

Travel will grow even heavier in January.

by CNB