Meet the people accompanying Obama aboard a crowded Air force one
A total of twenty House and Senate members will accompany President Barack Obama on his trip to Kenya and Ethiopia, with 10 expected to be in the President’s Air Force one when he lands in Nairobi.
Those accompanying him include Senators Jeff Flake of Arizona, Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts and Christopher A. Coons of Delaware.
Congress members will also be in the President’s Nairobi bound flight and they will include G.K Butterfield of North Carolina, Karen Bass of California, Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Barbara Lee of California, Gregory Meeks of New York, Terri Sewell of Alabama and Charles B. Rangel of New York.
According to the Washington Post, President Obama’s national security adviser Susan Rice said Wednesday that the large congressional team was to strengthen ties.
“Well, obviously we want to strengthen and sustain what I’ve referred to repeatedly as a strong bipartisan consensus around support for Africa, Africa’s development, peace and security there,” said Rice.
Rice added that last month the administration was focused on renewing the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a trade bill that received overwhelming support in the House and Senate.
According to Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason, the Nairobi bound Air Force One left Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Thursday evening and made a stopover at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany for refueling.
President Obama is expected to arrive in Nairobi Friday evening and co-host the Global Entrepreneurship Summit with Kenyan President before leaving the country Sunday evening for Ethiopia.
Another team of congress members will be in the President’s flight from Ethiopia and they will include; Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, Marcia Fudge of Ohio, Al Green of Texas, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Robin Kelly of Illinois, Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, Donald Payne of New Jersey, Cedric Richmond of Lousiana and Bennie Thompson of Missisipi.