fresno elections 2008

Yes. Local earmarks benefit the local area and thereby us and our neighbors.

In general, no! I will submit my legislative proposals developed for the interest of this District and the Valley through the appropriate committee process and work hard to see that they are passed. I oppose the kind of earmark legislation used by some as political payback or to gain favor. If Congress moves to ban or severely restrict earmarks, I will support the effort. However, if there is no change in the behavior of Congress from past excesses, I will reserve the option to submit limited transparent earmarks expressly for the benefit of our District and its constituents

Yes. I will continue to advocate for federal funding for local government priorities. I believe it is better to have local representatives decide how taxpayers’ money will be spent on local projects, rather then having a bureaucrat in Washington, DC with no knowledge of the community’s needs choose which projects to fund.

At the beginning of the 110th Congress, we passed rules making the earmark process much more transparent by holding members of Congress publicly accountable for the projects they choose to sponsor. I fully support making the earmark process as transparent as possible because I only submit projects that I feel are fully justified and will benefit the community. Recent examples of projects I obtained federal funding for include: the Westside Regional Drainage Project, Orestimba Creek flood control, and the Los Banos Highway Bypass.

I did not offer earmarks this year. The process is broken and has been linked to corruption. While I support the Congressional authority to determine federal spending, I do not support continuing a process that has so significantly damaged the reputation of this institution.

In addition to the outright corruption associated with earmarks, the fact remains that the vast majority of earmarked dollars go to a select few in Congress. Congressional Leadership, members of the Appropriations Committee and Representatives in tough elections tend to draw the vast majority of money to their districts. There is no effort to determine the merit of projects and no objective system to provide for an orderly and fair allocation of resources. In fact, Congress has earmarked some projects that we can’t even prove exist. Earmark decisions are made in smoke filled rooms by out of touch people who have a record of making poor decisions. The process has enabled corrupt politicians to exploit their offices and is largely based on political patronage. We need transparency and accountability in the earmark process. Once we have that, I will consider making requests for my district. Until then, I will fight for reform.

The San Joaquin Valley is notoriously under funded in state and federal appropriations. We have serious issues with education, air quality, and transportation that simply need to be addressed. I will not dismiss the earmark process because a few of my colleagues have chosen to abuse the system.

The constituents of the 19th Congressional District elected me to represent them and their interests in Congress. If there is a project in my district that is worthy, in need of Federal funds and will improve the quality of life for my constituents, it is my duty to represent those needs through the appropriations process.

Legitimate Congressional earmarks are not boondoggles, but important measures of funding that serve a genuine need. I will never make an appropriation request that I am not willing to stand on the floor of the House and defend.

I would be happy to be part of a bipartisan group to evaluate and reform the earmark process, but until that happens, I will continue to support targeted local earmarks for the 20th Congressional District.