Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she might decline the use of Air Force planes to travel from Washington to her San Francisco district because the Pentagon won't guarantee her an aircraft that can make the trip non-stop.

``I have said that I am happy to ride commercial if the plane they have doesn't go coast to coast,'' Pelosi said today.

Republicans seized on the issue in speeches on the House floor, criticizing Pelosi's ``extravagant'' request. Pelosi said Pentagon officials may be ``feeding the flames,'' of the issue in response to her criticism of the strategy in the war in Iraq.

After Sept. 11, 2001, the House speaker was given access to military planes for travel home for better security. The speaker is second in line to the presidency after the vice president. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, made use of the Air Force flights.

Pelosi, who became House speaker last month, said stopping for fuel would reduce the security of the flight.

In a letter to Pelosi yesterday, the Defense Department said it would provide her transportation, without guaranteeing an aircraft large enough to fly non-stop to San Francisco. The letter also made clear that members of her family must reimburse the government at a rate determined by the House ethics committee.

Immediate Family

``Non-U.S. government travelers, other than your immediate family, will not be authorized,'' said the letter from Robert Wilkie, assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs. ``As with previous speakers, we cannot support expenditure of DoD resources for your travel to or from political events.''

White House spokesman Tony Snow today defended Pelosi's use of a plane, and said the negotiations involve the Pentagon, not the White House.

``This is a silly story and I think it's been unfair to the speaker,'' Snow said.

That didn't dissuade House Republicans. Today, they halted debate on an energy-related bill for more than two hours to criticize the request for a larger plane than Hastert used for travel.

Representative John Shadegg, an Arizona Republican, said it was unfortunate House members must debate the ``excessive amount of money to accommodate one member Congress.'' Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican, said Pelosi's ``personal choices are extravagantly contradictory'' to her support for efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels to address the risks of global warming.

Not Involved

Pelosi insisted this week that she is not involved in the talks, and the House Sergeant of Arms Wilson Livingood is handling the matter. She suggested today that her criticism of the war in Iraq is a factor in leaks from the Pentagon about the request that have suggested she is seeking more access to a government plane.

``Why are they feeding the flames?'' she asked rhetorically today, adding that she has been a ``constant critic'' of the war and of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Livingood said in a statement today that ``it is reasonable and prudent to provide military aircraft to the speaker'' for security purposes and that he requested a plane capable of non- stop flights to enhance the security.

He indicated earlier this week that Pelosi's staff has taken part in meetings with Pentagon officials to set the parameters for use of any plane.

Murtha

Representative John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat and chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Defense Department's budget, said he contacted officials at the Pentagon and told them to provide a large plane.

``I said she should have the same consideration Hastert did,'' Murtha said, adding that it isn't wise for the Pentagon to reject her use of a non-stop plane.

``They're making a mistake when they leak it, because she decides on the allocation for the Defense Department,'' he said. He added he didn't think Pelosi would let a rejection drive her decisions on Pentagon funding.

Murtha said he will hold hearings that examine the use of military planes by members of Congress and Bush administration officials for the past two fiscal years. Asked whether the hearings are payback for the decision on Pelosi's request, he smiled and said, ``Would I do something like that?''

To contact the reporter on this story: Laura Litvan in Washington at llitvan@bloomberg.net or

Last Updated: February 8, 2007 17:22 EST