U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Topeka, will hold a rally at 11 a.m. Monday at the Statehouse to protest the use of tax dollars to fund President Bush’s visit to raise cash for her GOP opponent Lynn Jenkins.

Boyda’s event, dubbed a “Rally for Accountable Government” will be free and open to the public.

Bush’s fundraiser for Jenkins on Tuesday will be an invitation-only affair in a private home that will cost individuals $5,000 for preferred seating and a photo with the president.

Boyda said transporting Bush and the accompanying security would cost about $100,000, “virtually none of which will be reimbursed.”

She added, “The last time I heard, charging taxpayers for a private party was nobody’s idea of fiscal responsibility. This is exactly the kind of wasteful spending that we should expect our leaders in Congress to fight.”

Boyda faces Jenkins in the Nov. 4 election for the district that includes west Lawrence, Topeka, Manhattan and much of southeast Kansas.