Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Travel by Lawmakers Strains Resources

Members of Congress are spread across the globe during Capitol Hill’s two-month holiday recess, straining the capacity of military aircraft to carry them on far-flung fact-finding trips. At least 24 trips by committees, delegations and individual lawmakers have been scheduled this month and next to such destinations as Moscow, China, Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean. A White House team traveling to Moscow to prepare for a January summit meeting had to take a two-engine DC-9, a plane not normally used for overseas trips, because all larger aircraft were in use.