Parks Closed? Just Fly Abroad : Congress goes a-junketing, escaping realities of the federal budget crisis

Never mind that thousands of tourists have been turned away from the great national parks, whose gates have been closed by the partisan budget squabble in Washington. Never mind that the Smithsonian museums have been shut down, denying schoolchildren the chance to see some of America’s cherished treasures. Were thousands of visitors denied the opportunity to tour the Washington Monument, the visual symbol of the capital? That’s the way it goes.

Think in terms of the big picture: These and other disappointments and inconveniences produced by temporarily unfunded government departments and programs have mainly affected only, well, ordinary people. For the people who really count, like members of Congress, life goes on. The high life, in fact. Witness the overseas travel plans made by senators and representatives over the next few weeks--25 trips for the lawmakers and another 18 by their staffs, with nearly all expenses paid by the public.

Members of Congress do not, of course, depend on Al’s Travel Agency to book them on tours and into decent hotels. Since they are on Official Business, their arrangements are made through the State Department and its overseas missions. This is no mere courtesy extended by one branch of government to another. Congress controls the State Department’s budget, so making every effort to provide support to junketing members is also a matter of survival.

These are not, though, usual times. In making plans to travel hither and yon in furtherance of their duties, members of Congress are demanding services from a State Department that has still not been funded for this fiscal year, which began last October. One consequence of the budget mess is that overseas missions have had to furlough staff and are operating short-handed. That inconvenient fact apparently hasn’t deterred a lot of the nation’s perambulating legislators from still expecting the full treatment overseas, including guides to take them and, in many cases, their spouses and staffs, shopping and sightseeing.

Not to worry, though. If worse comes to worse, we’ll just keep the national parks closed a little longer.