Ted Stevens attempt to squash Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S. 2590)
CAGW is reporting that everyone’s favorite guardian of the Internet tubes was the one whoe placed a ‘secret’ hold on the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (S. 2590).
The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), will establish a public database for $800 billion worth of federal grants and contracts. An anonymous hold had been placed on the legislation, preventing it from moving forward. Grassroots pressure from a coalition of groups and bloggers from across the political spectrum prompted Sen. Stevens to confirm, through a spokesperson, that he is the one blocking the bill.
“This comes as no surprise as Sen. Stevens is the top porker in Congress,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said. “He was always a logical suspect.”
Since 1999, the Alaska delegation has brought home more than $3 billion in federal pork, thanks mostly to former Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Stevens. The state has ranked number one in pork per capita since CAGW began calculating the statistic in 2000, pulling in $489.87 worth of pork per resident in 2006. In December 2003, The Los Angeles Times revealed how Sen. Stevens made millions of dollars from investments with businessmen who received government contracts or other aid through his legislative efforts.
The Act would create a public website with an easily searchable database of the name and amount of every federal grant, contract or award of $25,000 or more. The alternative approaches for obtaining this information are generally considered to be too complex for the general public. This would obviously make it easier for tax payers to see money going to the future bridges to nowhere.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously passed the measure on July 27, 2006 and it was on its way to full Senate passage when an unknown Senator placed a “secret hold” on the bill. According to Senate rules, the bill will never come to a vote as long as the hold continues. Holds are an unofficial part of Senate parliamentary tradition that allow a single senator to block a measure anonymously.
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