National Sacrifices ... but not for the Congressmen

Congress has appointed $550 million to be spent on new aircraft to be used to fly them around to places all around the world.

In this article, they speak of how flights have increased greatly over the past 14 years, which is stated here:

A Wall Street Journal analysis of congressional records found that foreign travel by members of Congress and aides was increasing. Last year, House members spent about 3,000 days overseas on taxpayer-funded trips, up from about 550 in 1995, according to the Journal's analysis.

Lawmakers disclosed they spent about $13 million traveling the world last year, a tenfold increase since 1995, when travel records first were made available electronically. The travel costs are covered by an unlimited fund created by a three-decade-old law.

This month, for example, 11 separate congressional delegations will swing through Germany. House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio is leading five other lawmakers on a trip around the world. Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.) is taking a group of senators and their spouses to Europe for three weeks."

Congressmen are supposed to represent the interests of their respective states, correct? In a representational government, shouldn't the congressmen primarily stay with those they represent? They don't represent the people of those around the world, they represent those in their own state. Plus, they're public officials, so why don't congressmen travel on public forms of flight? That would be a novelty, now wouldn't it?