Don Nickles: “Taxpayers should not have to pay for the Teamsters' election twice. Mr. President, in 1989, the consent decree said that…”

“Taxpayers should not have to pay for the Teamsters' election twice. Mr. President, in 1989, the consent decree said that there will be an election in 1991 and said that the Teamsters would pay for it. They did. They had a successful election. It had oversight and management by the Government, but it was paid for by the Teamsters. It was deemed to be a good election. The 1996 election had oversight and management by the Federal Government, and it was also paid for by the Federal Government. The overseer of the election, though, said there was some fraud, said there was some corruption, and said in her opinion we needed to have a new election. She has now petitioned a judge, and the judge will be ordering a new election. My point being, it is not the taxpayers' fault that there was fraud. That came from the Teamsters. I do not have any qualm on who is elected or who is not elected. That is not my issue. My decision is to protect taxpayers. Taxpayers should not have to pay for it again. The estimates of the cost are $22 million.”