Joel Hefley: “Yes, the EDA has done some good things. There is no question about that. I did not say that some good wasn't done. I did…”

“Yes, the EDA has done some good things. There is no question about that. I did not say that some good wasn't done. I did not say, as someone suggested, that the United States does not need economic development. I said they do not need the Economic Development Agency. And I said that this is not an efficient way to provide that economic development. This is a place to park dollars so that Members can say to their constituents, 'Look what I can do for you.' We have gone over year after year the examples of the parking garages and the stockyard development in Fort Worth and on and on. One of the speakers said that he gets calls from all kinds of people saying support this project and support that project. And that is our mentality up here, that whatever your little project is throughout the United States, whether it be a sewer system or whatever it be, that the Federal Government ought to pay for it. Another thing in the bill that I think we ought to be aware of when we throw around the figure $386 million, is there is also a phrase in there that says 'and such additional amounts.' That has been scored, and the cost of this bill that we are trying to eliminate is $422 million, not $386 million.”