Rep. Garbarino Took Four Privately Funded Trips in 2026
The representative spent 31 days on sponsored travel across international and domestic locations this year.
Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Business Travel
Live Poll
Should members of Congress be allowed to accept trips paid for by private special interest groups?
Rep. Andrew Garbarino accepted four privately funded trips totaling more than $37,000 during 2026. Data from legislative filings show he ranked among the top members of the U.S. House for such travel frequency.
Why it matters
The trips, which required bipartisan Ethics Committee approval, were defended by Garbarino's office as non-political opportunities to engage on policy. His office cited his role as Homeland Security Committee chairman as necessitating such international engagement.
Rep. Garbarino's 31 days of private travel included visits to Ecuador, the Galápagos Islands, the U.K., Amsterdam, and Houston. Additionally, the representative approved 11 separate trips for staff members throughout the year.
The players
Andrew Garbarino
He is a U.S. Representative from New York who serves as the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Tom Suozzi
He is a U.S. Representative from New York representing a district on Long Island.
Laura Gillen
She is a U.S. Representative from New York who serves on behalf of a district on Long Island.
Ethics Committee
This bipartisan House body is responsible for providing mandatory pre-approval for all privately sponsored congressional travel.
LegiStorm LLC
This organization operates a legislative data service that tracks and compiles congressional financial and travel disclosures.
The details
Legislative data service LegiStorm LLC identified these figures by sorting official congressional travel filings. Rep. Tom Suozzi and Rep. Laura Gillen also participated in private travel this year, with Suozzi taking two trips costing $34,667 and Gillen taking one valued at approximately $8,215.
Timeline
In January 2026, Rep. Garbarino led a taxpayer-paid trip to Fiji and Australia.
During April 2026, Rep. Suozzi traveled to East Africa.
In August 2026, Rep. Garbarino traveled to the Galápagos Islands and Ecuador.
Also in August 2026, Rep. Suozzi and Rep. Gillen traveled to Alaska.
The 2026 congressional election month occurred in November.
Travel Outlook
This story highlights the volume of privately funded congressional travel that occurs alongside official taxpayer-funded legislative trips. The frequency of such travel reflects broader trends in how lawmakers engage with external stakeholders during an election year.
While these figures reflect federal travel oversight, they illustrate how lawmakers balance constituent representation with external engagement. Readers can track similar expenditures through public disclosure databases to understand how their representatives allocate their time and resources.
The takeaway
Congressional travel filings provide significant insight into the influence of private organizations on federal representatives. Constituents interested in government transparency can monitor these annual disclosures to better understand their representatives' outside engagements.
Further reading
For more on the intersection of policy and travel, visit the Business Travel section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Newsday.
Live Poll
Should members of Congress be allowed to accept trips paid for by private special interest groups?
