» DATABASE: Autos Leased by Members of Congress
WASHINGTON
Congress spent much of the last month debating ways to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
Perhaps it should take a closer look in its garage.
Half of all vehicles leased with taxpayer money for congressmen are gas-guzzling SUVs, a review of congressional financial records shows.
Twice as many legislators drive luxurious Lincoln Town Cars -- four, at a sluggish 15 miles a gallon in the city -- than hybrid Toyota Priuses -- two, at 48 mpg in the city.
The less-efficient vehicles attracted little notice with gas under $2 a gallon. With pump prices now above $4, some legislators are moving from larger vehicles to smaller, more efficient hybrids.
Taxpayers spend about $1 million a year to lease vehicles for 127 members of the House of Representatives, more than a quarter of the 435-member body. The government also pays for fuel for the leased vehicles. Senators are prohibited from leasing vehicles.
Most members of the House do not lease a vehicle and are reimbursed 50.5 cents a mile for use of personal vehicles in their districts. The rate, which covers fuel and wear and tear on the car, stays the same if a legislator or a staff member owns a large SUV or a tiny hybrid.
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., is one of 62 legislators who leased a taxpayer-financed SUV this year.
Wilson said he is considering replacing his 2007 Ford Explorer with a hybrid when the lease expires because of high gas prices.
"Rising gas prices are having a rough impact on the American family's budget and, consequently, our driving habits," he said. "More fuel efficient cars will have to be part of our future energy policy."
More fuel-efficient vehicles were part of Wilson's past energy policy, too. Before obtaining the 2007 Explorer, which costs $570 a month and gets 20 mpg on the highway, Wilson leased a Ford Escape hybrid SUV.
It got 28 mpg on the highway, but the monthly payment, $923, was too steep to offset the reduced fuel usage. So Wilson traded it for an Explorer.
Even if Wilson does not trade in his Explorer for a hybrid when his lease expires this time, he and other SUV drivers will have to swap their rides for a far more fuel-efficient vehicle.
A new law, slipped into an energy bill that passed Congress in 2005 and is now taking effect, mandates that members of Congress can only lease fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles.
Out are many midsize and most large SUVs, such as the Lincoln Navigator or Ford Expedition. In are hybrid SUVs and sedans, small cars, and flex-fuel vehicles.
Legislators can keep their old vehicles until the lease expires.
The change was sponsored by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., whose office leases a retrofitted Ford Econoline van that runs on used cooking oil. The vehicle, which he leases for $2,900 a month, serves as a mobile office and is outfitted with a fax machine, copier and other equipment.
Cleaver reasoned that since Congress recently forced auto companies to increase fuel economy, legislators should drive more efficient cars.
"As he often says, people would much rather see a sermon than hear one," said a spokesman for Cleaver, Danny Rotert. "When we're telling everyone we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we should walk the walk instead of driving around in big SUVs."
Environmental groups praised the change, arguing that driving a more fuel-efficient vehicle gives legislators more moral authority to ask Americans to do the same.
"We'd prefer that members of Congress drive the most efficient car possible," said Josh Dorner, a spokesman for the Sierra Club.
Cleaver also had a less symbolic motivation. As gas prices have risen, demand for fuel-efficient hybrid cars and SUVs has soared. But supplies of those vehicles remain tight, and waiting lists are often long.
If more legislators are pushed to lease a hybrid, Congress will develop a better understanding of the problem and work more urgently to help bring more hybrids to market, Cleaver said.
For leased vehicles, the cost of gas is also charged to taxpayers. More fuel-efficient hybrids generally require lower gas bills, but monthly payments can run higher than standard models.
Rep. Mel Watt, a Democrat who represents North Carolina's 12th District, first leased an SUV when he arrived in Congress, then swapped it for a van. Several years back, he switched to a Honda hybrid, and then to a Toyota Prius.
Watt is one of only two members of Congress to lease a Prius, financial records from the first quarter of this year show. At 48 mpg in the city, the Prius is one of the most efficient cars on the road. Watt's office pays $743 a month for the car.
"I had a hybrid six years ago, long before driving one became a political badge of honor," he said.
In the last year, several legislators have traded in less-efficient vehicles for hybrids, though most still drive standard SUVs.
In addition to the two Priuses, members lease a hybrid Toyota Camry (33 mpg in the city) a hybrid Honda Civic (40 mpg in the city) and 10 hybrid SUVs, a Mercury Mariner, a Toyota Highlander and eight Ford Escapes. The hybrid SUVs get between 28 and 34 mpg in the city.
Government waste groups have complained about the lease program in past years, in part because some legislators use it to drive luxury cars. The list of leased vehicles includes a BMW, a Lexus, an Infiniti, several Cadillacs and luxury SUVs.
The size of the monthly payment for some vehicles has also attracted attention from groups fighting government waste. For example, Luis Fortuno, Puerto Rico's representative in the House, pays $1,179 a month for his 2006 Ford Expedition (12 mpg in the city).
A spokeswoman for Fortuno, a Republican, said she suspects that the high cost of vehicles on the island partly explains the costly monthly payment.
In interviews, several congressional staff members said that the short length of the lease -- generally two years -- and the lack of a down payment make the monthly payments steeper than normal.
Rep. Brad Miller, a Democrat who represents North Carolina's 13th District, leases a Ford Freestyle, a cross between an SUV and a station wagon for $508 a month. It gets 22 mpg on the highway.
Miller's district staff uses the car regularly to meet with constituents. The office did a cost-benefit analysis and determined that leasing a vehicle was actually cheaper than reimbursing staff members to use their own cars, said LuAnn Canipe, Miller's spokeswoman.
"This is not an Infiniti. It's not a Lincoln Navigator," Canipe said. "It's not an outrageous vehicle. It's a pretty practical little car."
Some legislators have also moved to flex-fuel cars and SUVs that run on both gas and E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
The alternative fuel is less efficient than standard gasoline. For example, a flex-fuel Mercury Mountaineer, such as the kind driven by Rep. Donald Manzullo, R-Ill., gets 19 mpg when running on regular gas on the highway. On E85, it gets 14 mpg on the highway.
Although E85 is a less efficient fuel, it produces less greenhouse gas than standard gasoline.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a typical Mountaineer operated with standard gasoline emits 12.2 tons of carbon dioxide a year, compared with 10.1 tons for a Mountaineer run on E85.
Ethanol pumps are sporadic in some parts of the country, but not in Manzullo's district.
"We have two working ethanol plants in our congressional district and a lot of pumps," said his spokesman, Rich Carter. "It burns cleaner and reduces our need for foreign oil."
Most members of Congress have avoided the lease program altogether. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican who represents North Carolina's 5th District, said that her decision to not lease a vehicle was simple.
"It just didn't seem necessary. I already had my own car," said Foxx, who drives a 2005 Chevrolet minivan.
■ Sean Mussenden can be reached at 202-662-7668 or at smussenden@mediageneral.com.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement