U.S. Rep. John Joyce racks up 12,000 miles of travel in six months

In just six months in office, U.S. Rep. John Joyce, R-Blair County, will have racked up about 12,000 miles on the public dime.

In April, Joyce traveled to Yuma, Ariz., to get a firsthand look at the flow of migrants streaming across the U.S.-Mexico border, seeking asylum. He said the trip reinforced his commitment to President Trump’s vow to build a border wall.

Now Joyce, whose district includes eastern Westmoreland County, is headed to Europe.

On Monday, Joyce announced he is traveling to France to Normandy Beach for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landing. He is scheduled to leave with a bipartisan congressional delegation Wednesday and return Sunday.

Joyce said he’s proud he’ll be able to represent the region in France.

“This has a lot of personal meaning to me. I think it has a lot of meaning to the people in Pennsylvania-13. My father fought in World War II. He was in the Battle of the Bulge, gravely injured and was saved by Army field doctors. I’m forever grateful to the military doctors who saved his life and allowed him to return to central Pennsylvania, get married, raise five children, and I somehow feel that I am taking my father with me as I return to France,” Joyce said in a press release announcing his trip.

No word whether the group will make any side trips.

But all told, the two round-trip excursions come to about 12,000 miles.