WBBM Investigation: Nearly Half Of Ill. Cong. Let Taxpayers Pay For Their Cars

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CHICAGO (WBBM) - As you head to the gas station to squeeze your credit card until it bleeds, consider a Newsradio 780 investigation that finds that 8 of Illinois’ 19 U.S. congressmen lease vehicles at taxpayer expense--and it’s perfectly legal. 

WBBM's Bernie Tafoya reports.

Congressmen are allowed under House rules to lease cars for district business. 

Illinois U.S. Representatives who do are charging taxpayers anywhere from $366 a month as Cong. Luis Gutierrez does for a Honda Civic hybrid to $1,161 a month as Cong. Jesse Jackson does for a Ford Expedition. 

Cong. Danny Davis defends his use of tax money for transportation saying everything he does is "practically involved" with his work. "I don’t have any life beyond what I do." 

He goes on to say even during supposed free time, he's still at work as a congressman. For instance, he says that when he goes to church, people constantly sidle up to him and ask "Congressman, can you help me with my mortgage? Congressman can you get my son out of jail? Congressman, when you get through praying, let me talk to you."

Cong. Dan Lipinski is one of the 11 Illinois congressmen who pay for their own transportation. He says he only uses a personal vehicle because charging taxpayers "raises too many issues," especially when it comes lately to high gasoline prices. 

In addition to allowing members of Congress to charge taxpayers for the car leases, House rules allow them to put auto insurance and gasoline to run the cars on the taxpayer tab.

Lipinski says, "People say, 'Oh, the congressman is using my tax dollars to put gasoline in their cars. No wonder we have such high gas prices. They don’t feel the pinch of it.'"

New U.S. House rules say congressmen who charge taxpayers for cars must start leasing more fuel-efficient vehicles.

As it stands now, congressmen like Jesse Jackson Jr. and Bobby Rush, for instance, have gas guzzler SUVs that get 12 miles per gallon in the city, around 17 on the highway.  Cong. Danny Davis says he’s sorry he's had to trade in an older gas guzzling but inexpensive-to-lease Mercury Marquis for a Saturn Vue.

Besides Congressmen Jackson, Rush and Davis, the only other Chicago area congressmen who leases a vehicle on the taxpayer dime is Luis Gutierrez who has a Honda Civic hybrid.

Illinois congressmen who lease vehicles at your expense include:

-- Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago who leases a 2007 Lincoln Navigator for $746/month and gets 12 miles per gallon city/17 mpg highway

-- Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Chicago who leases a 2007 Ford Expedition for $1161/month which gets 12 mpg city/18 mpg highway

-- Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Chicago who leases a 2006 Honda Civic hybrid for $366/month which gets 40 mpg city/45 mpg highway

-- Rep. Danny Davis of Chicago who was leasing a Mercury Marquis for $265/month but was trading it in to lease a Saturn Vue.  Further information not yet available.

-- Rep. Jerry Costello of Belleville who leases a 2008 flex fuel Jeep Cherokee for $778/month that gets 9 miles per gallon city/12 mpg highway

-- Rep. Don Manzullo of Rockford who leases a 2007 flex fuel Mercury Mountaineer for $465/month which gets 13 mpg city/18 mpg highway

-- Rep. Phil Hare of Rock Island who leases a 2006 Buick Lucerne for $897/month which gets 15 mpg city/23 mpg highway

-- Rep. John Shimkus of Collinsville who leases a 2007 flex fuel Jeep Commander for $627/month which gets 9 mpg city/12 mpg highway