Jeff Flake: “this amendment is a little different from the others. The others would strike funding from the bill. This would simply…”

“this amendment is a little different from the others. The others would strike funding from the bill. This would simply redirect funding to the same account from which it was drawn. This amendment would redirect $3 million from the Lewis Center for Educational Research to the Family Advocacy Programs in the Operations and Maintenance account. Mr. Chairman, it seems that we are debating the Labor-HHS bill rather than the Defense appropriations bill. Why is there a $3 million earmark in the bill for an organization with a stated goal of providing ``an opportunity for students to experience real science; to learn that science is an ongoing process, not just memorizing facts?'' I am referring, of course, to this earmark for the Lewis Center for Educational Research. This is becoming somewhat of an annual earmark. In fact, according to the Citizens Against Government Waste database, this educational center has received earmarks in past Defense appropriation bills ranging from $2.5 million to $3.5 million in every fiscal year since 2003.”