After House Republicans refused to allow Democrats to organize official congressional delegations to El Salvador, four of them are traveling to the Central American nation anyway, Axios has learned.
The lawmakers' offices said they will meet with officials at the U.S. embassy there to advocate for the release of Kilmar Armando Ábrego García and receive classified briefings.
Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) and Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) arrived in San Salvador, the country's capital, on Monday morning, their offices said.
Garcia and Frost had requested authorization from House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.) but were denied.
"If you … wish to meet with him, you can spend your own money. But I will not approve a single dime of taxpayer funds for use on the excursion you have requested," Comer wrote.
The four Democratic lawmakers' office said in a joint statement that their trip "is not being financed by taxpayer dollars."
Posted by John3262005