Political Quotes

“it is with true regret that I rise to urge my colleagues to oppose S. 2832, a bill to reauthorize the Appalachian Regional Commission. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill not for what it does, but for what it does not do. S. 2832 does not protect each ARC State funding allocation from the effects of earmarking in this Chamber. The House bill does contain such protection. H.R. 5812, which has strong bipartisan support, contains language that provides each State with protection against raiding its funding allocation for earmarked projects. The House bill contains a provision that says, ``Funds approved by the Commission for a project in an Appalachian State pursuant to Congressional direction shall be derived from such State's portion of the Commission's allocations of appropriated amounts among the States.'' By requiring that funds for earmarked projects come from the State allocation, this language protects all rank-and-file members in ARC counties from an inequitable distribution of ARC funds. The Senate bill contains no such provision. It is inconsistent with earmark reform legislation and does nothing to stop the unbalanced distribution of funds that is characteristic of earmarking. With its very limited amount of program funds, it is essential that fund allocations be done based on need, not on the whims of a few.”