SIOUX FALLS– In 8 years in Washington D.C., Congresswoman Kristi Noem only passed one bill into law and was paid $1.4 million to do it. She missed more votes than almost any of her colleagues, and traveled the world on the taxpayer dime - notably posing for a picture at the Great Wall of China with a Congressman that resigned amidst a government corruption scandal.
Everyday citizens paid for Congresswoman Noem to go on expensive taxpayer funded trips to exotic locations around the world like Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, Germany, Egypt, Greece, China, South Korea, Japan, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates – costing taxpayers than $175,000.
On top of that, special interests paid for Noem and her family to travel to Kenya, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Tel Aviv – travel perks worth an additional $35,000. And the Congresswoman’s staff has taken a dozen trips paid for by special interests too.
Now, the Congresswoman refuses to comment on whether she will foot South Dakotans with the bill for her personal travel if she were to be elected our next Governor. The Rapid City Journal reports:
“Sutton says he’ll pay for his travel expenses and taxpayers won't bear that burden. Noem's team makes no such promise.”
In response to Noem’s history of traveling on the taxpayer’s dime and willingness to do so again as governor, Sutton for South Dakota campaign manager Suzanne Jones Pranger said:
“The Congresswoman skips work and passes one bill in 8 years – all while taking home 1.4 million on the public payroll and taking full advantage of all the perks of the job like traveling around the world while taxpayers foot the bill! Now, Noem seems ready to charge South Dakotans for her personal travel as governor. That doesn’t sound like someone South Dakota can trust to look out for anyone’s pocketbook but her own.”
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