A $265,000 trip to the US: Report discloses transit minister’s lavish travel budget

In August, as frustration in Israel mounted over widespread disruptions to train routes on Israel Railways, Transportation Minister Miri Regev insisted that there was “no transportation chaos.”

Days later, with train service still suspended in Tel Aviv, Regev flew with her staff on a pre-planned, nearly two-week, multi-stop trip to the United States. The trip’s timing raised eyebrows, and now, a new report obtained by Channel 12 on Wednesday disclosed how much it cost.

The report details Regev’s trips from November 2024 to this past August. It said the US trip, a visit that took place on both coasts and that, according to her office, was intended to advance “strategic” cooperation with American officials, cost some NIS 850,000 ($265,000).

Regev and her ministry’s director-general, Moshe Ben Zaken, each spent upwards of NIS 30,000 (close to $10,000) on flights alone. On top of that, hotels and other travel arrangements for the delegation cost roughly $172,000, according to the report.

Regev has traveled abroad at least 12 times since the beginning of her term at the end of 2022, spending over 80 days abroad. She has come under criticism for her trips and their exorbitant costs during a time of war and economic hardship. She faced an additional round of criticism on Wednesday as Israel recorded its 400th traffic fatality this year.

“Unfortunately, this is the third time we have had to petition the court to have the Transportation Ministry provide basic information about the minister’s trips, instead of such information being accessible and transparent to the public from the outset,” said Or Sadan, an attorney from the Movement for Freedom of Information, which filed the request for the disclosure, according to Channel 12.

“Reviewing the data, it is hard not to wonder why the transportation minister, who is a security cabinet member, needs to spend dozens of days abroad during a time of war, severe economic difficulties, and deadly traffic accidents,” he added.

The documents detail Regev’s further trips to Morocco, Cyprus, Germany and Azerbaijan, with costs per trip often in the NIS 100,000-150,000 range ($30,000-$45,000).

Regev has said the trips advance the ministry’s mission and also serve to strengthen its international relations. On the US trip, she met with the leadership of United and Delta Airlines, as well as US officials and Jewish communal leaders.

Regev, a longtime Likud lawmaker who formerly served as culture minister and IDF spokeswoman, attended the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in a show of solidarity.

While there, according to a video circulating online, a reporter asked her to comment on the 400 traffic fatalities so far this year, a rise from this point in previous years.

Regev’s spokesperson answered by saying “399.” Regev herself did not respond.