Earlier this month, Denver’s Mayor Mike Johnston appeared before the U.S. House Committee on Government and Reform to answer questions about Denver’s response to the illegal immigration crisis that has been spilling from the U.S. border into America’s interior cities.

Johnston, along with four staff members – Chief of Staff Jenn Ridder, Senior Advisor for Strategy and Planning Mary Bowman, Acting City Attorney Katie McLoughlin and Press Secretary Jordan Fuja – traveled to Washington, D.C. for the March 5 hearing.

Travel and lodging costs for the trip totaled $11,318, according to information received by The Denver Gazette through a Colorado Open Records Act request.

Airfare for the five travelers accounted for $2,717, meals came in at $1,380, while a majority of the trip’s overall cost — $7,221 — went to hotel expenses.

“Owing to the State of the Union taking place the night before the hearing, rooms were in short supply and exorbitantly expensive,” said Johnston spokesperson Jon Ewing to The Denver Gazette. “We booked the best and most affordable option we could find within a reasonable distance of the hearing. Additionally, one staff member chose to stay with friends to save on costs.”

Ewing added that the mayor opted not to bring a security detail.

The tally doesn’t include the cost of the law firm hired to help Johnston and the city prepare for the hearing.

In February, Denver inked an agreement with the law firm of Covington and Burling, LLP, to represent the city in the upcoming congressional inquiry. Under the one-year contract with a maximum cap of $2 million, the city will pay lawyers a “discounted” rate of $1,000 per hour.

“We have not yet received invoices related to legal costs,” Ewing said.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who joined Johnston, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and New York Mayor Eric Adams has been sharply criticized for her whopping $650,000 legal bill.

Wu defended the costs, saying it was necessary amid threats to put her in jail, as reported by The Boston Herald.