Question of the Week: Junket or junk it? What to do about congressional trips

Are we being too cynical about picking on politicians who might benefit from international travel — or just the right amount of cynical? It’s our newsletter Question of the Week for April 5, 2026.

US Rep. Derrick Van Orden and colleagues from both parties are learning a real-time lesson in shutdown politics while Americans struggle with high prices, healthcare cuts, and long lines at airports. Van Orden was part of a gaggle of tourists photographed outside a castle in Scotland that was shared by TMZ. 

The official trip was approved months ago, but such trips are usually canceled during government shutdowns — full or partial — to avoid this kind of visual: politicians on a taxpayer-funded trip while some workers with the Department of Homeland Security continued working without a paycheck. So, was it essential travel or a junket?

Option A: Let’s be fair. Whether we are Democrats or Republicans, we know that congressional travel can serve an educational purpose. This was approved and we shouldn’t play politics with bad optics.

Option B: Members of Congress have no business putting their travel wishes above the many Americans who missed flights, missed special occasions, or went without paychecks because of their bickering. There are times when criticizing Congress can go too far — but this ain’t one of them.