В Южной Дакоте возникли споры о финансировании полетов законодателей в Белый дом за счет налогоплательщиков

South Dakota lawmakers face scrutiny over taxpayer-funded White House fly-in SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - South Dakota’s unique position on the national political scale may have prompted a conservative organization to help fund a legislative fly-in to the White House this week, but the trip is raising concerns over the use of taxpayer dollars of up to $800 per legislator for the flights. The debate centers on whether state funds were used appropriately and what topics were discussed during the visit. Former State Representative Linda Duba said she requested travel reimbursement in 2023 after receiving a White House invitation. At the time, legislative leadership denied her request, stating it was not a good use of public funds. “I have no issues with sitting legislators attending meetings at the White House,” Duba said, noting she was invited to similar meetings in 2022 and 2023. “I asked then-Speaker Hugh Bartels and President Pro Tem Lee Schoenbeck if I could get reimbursed through the legislative travel budget. They indicated that it wasn’t a good use of funds. I respected their opinion.” Duba expressed surprise that House Speaker Pro Tem Chris Karr approved up to $800 per legislator for this week’s trip. “I think we need to be consistent with legislative travel budget usage,” Duba said. Democrat Rep. Erik Muckey of District 15 is questioning what the taxpayer funds actually covered. “I don’t want to convey a message that I think colleagues are trying to siphon money off the legislature,” Muckey said. “But what is important here is that processes should clearly identify: was this about the legislature and the work of our legislature, or was this about campaigning? And seeing the content that was provided about this, I have very significant concerns.” One major concern involves social media training offered during the trip, which critics argue could be viewed as campaign training. However, Republican Representative Kevin Jensen, who attended the trip, explained more about the travel. He described the visit as an opportunity to secure immeasurable resources and connections with White House policy advisors on education, pipelines, and agricultural issues. The delegation also met with Taiwanese ambassadors to discuss the wheat trade. An anonymous trip participant argued that if the Appropriations Committee dislikes the Legislative Research Council (LRC) paying for legislative travel, they should vote against it. Former Appropriations Chair Jean Hunhoff recalled that the state implemented a travel reimbursement form a decade ago requiring legislators to submit a report of what they learned while away. Karr said he recently checked with the LRC and learned the form has not been used in recent years. He is currently drafting a new version that House members must complete before receiving travel reimbursements. Karr released the following statement to Dakota News Now about the trip: The state’s Legislative Research Council covered up to $800 per lawmaker’s flight. The remaining expenses were paid by the Leadership Institute, a conservative group whose stated goal is to “increase the number and effectiveness of conservative activists and leaders.” Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.