Surrounded by over a hundred lobbyists and corporate executives, approximately 30 Democratic lawmakers left behind the government shutdown — and the 800,000 federal employees that are without pay — for a chartered trip to the sunny beaches of Puerto Rico this weekend.
The private plane. The food. The wine. The $430-per-night luxury hotel rooms for them and their families. All paid for by special interest groups.
And while snow covered Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Democratic senators were drinking and partying it up with stars of the Broadway hit “Hamilton” on sunny Caribbean beaches.
“We are excited for you to join us for CHC BOLD PAC’s 2019 Winter Retreat in San Juan, Puerto Rico! Each year, this retreat serves as a way for our CHC BOLD PAC Members and friends in the D.C. community to come together to escape the cold and discuss our shared priorities for a stronger and more prosperous country,” said the organizing memo on the trip.
It’s the perfect example of tone deaf Washington bureaucrats living a luxury lifestyle while regular Americans suffer.
To make it all legal, Democrats did earmark a couple hours of the all-expenses paid weekend to meet with local leaders to talk about lingering issues left by Hurricane Maria last year.
But they spent the rest of the time living it up on the island’s exclusive, luxury resorts — far away from the poor and needy.
For example, here’s how New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez spent his weekend.
Hard at work? Or living it up? You be the judge —
Spotted: Sen. Bob Menendez on the beach at a resort in Puerto Rico on Day 22 of the partial government shutdown. Reports say dozens of Dems are in PR for the CHC BOLD PAC winter retreat — including meetings on Maria cleanup, and a party with PR’s “Hamilton” cast. pic.twitter.com/6FaBYKPo4L
— David McAlpine (@DavidMcAlpine) January 12, 2019