Thread: Three Anti-CAFTA Republicans Have Road Projects Slashed

National Journal's CongressDailyPM
Issue date: Friday, August 5, 2005

TRANSPORTATION
Three Anti-CAFTA Republicans Have Road Projects Slashed
Three House Republicans who loudly opposed the Central America Free Trade Agreement saw their highway projects cut as much as 70 percent , based on figures in the recently passed surface transportation reauthorization conference report. GOP leaders said they held off a vote on the highway bill to squeeze out support for CAFTA, which passed by two votes last week despite 27 GOP defections. Two of the loudest defectors -- Reps. Virgil Goode of Virginia and Walter Jones of North Carolina -- had their "high-priority" highway projects cut by more than 70 percent from the House-passed bill. Rep. Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn., who also was an outspoken opponent of CAFTA, had his projects cut by more than half, all well above the average 20 percent average cut for rank-and-file House members. Goode said the House voted on CAFTA around midnight July 27 "and the next morning we looked through the transportation bill and saw that my projects had been cut 76 percent -- and that's all I know." Asked whether he thought there was a connection between his CAFTA vote and cuts to highway projects in his district, Goode said, "Well, who knows what Santa Claus does in the dark." Goode said he wanted to ask House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Young about his projects but, "I just never did get the opportunity to catch him." He added, "I don't know if he would know, but I was going to ask." A spokesman for Young did not return a call. Goode's district did receive two sizable projects in the conference report -- a $7 million extension of I-73 and a $6 million bridge in Danville -- though Goode said that was done
with the assistance of both Virginia Republican senators.

Jones was the only one of the three lawmakers who voted against the surface transportation reauthorization conference report, which passed 412-8. A spokeswoman for Jones did not comment. Jones, like Goode, appeared at several anti-CAFTA news conferences dominated by Democratic opponents. A Gutknecht spokesman said the lawmaker was "obviously disappointed that some of his projects were cut more than some others' projects were." But the spokesman added that there is only a speculative connection between his cut in projects and his CAFTA vote. "I guess we'll never know for sure," the spokesman said.

A spokeswoman for House Majority Whip Blunt said, "There were 27 Republicans that voted against CAFTA and to choose three as an example of some sort of leadership retribution would be misleading." The spokeswoman said the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee made the decisions on House projects. "I can't speak to why these three members were cut more than anyone else," she said, while adding that some of the 27 Republicans were low key in their opposition, "and there's no question that that type of approach was appreciated." Blunt said last week that the highway bill had been effective as leverage for CAFTA. "It's certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that members come and say, 'Gee, how am I doing with my projects in the highway bill?' And we're probably not beyond saying, 'we'll check and see how you're doing,'" he said.
-- by Darren Goode

There is certainly something rotten in Washington and also our govenment.

It's weird because it's almost like the a lot of traitors in government have been hiding in dark corners and now they are crawling out into the light and have no shame in making sure those that did not support their corrupt policies are punished.

Shame on the mass media for not covering these things. Shame on most Americans who will never read the above article.

The only thing we can do is support those who voted NO on CAFTA and get out our roach and pest repellents to get rid of the insects that voted Yes to CAFTA!

That is just SO typical of the traitors we have up there. I told Rep. Coble, when I wrote him to thank him for voting against CAFTA, that I wouldn't mind driving on bumpy roads if that was what it took to take a stand against an administration who was using FORCE to get those congressmen to vote for CAFTA.

and I thought extortion and blackmail were illegal

Abuse of Power is also illegal. The highway bill is paid for with taxes from all Americans including primarily gas taxes paid at the pump. The states that collect the most gas taxes are the states with the most traffic and who need the most money to address the traffic concerns. Many states are pass through states when trucks and travelers add to congestion but who only purchase gas occasionally in those states at a gas station off an Interstate exit. Locals have to put up with all the traffic, all the wear and tear on the roads but receive little economic benefit for all the trouble.

There are laws governing the re-appropriation of highways monies to the states. I believe Blunt has interfered with that legal process. While there may be some discretionary powers with each legislation, the citizens are the ones who suffer when games like these are played. We expect highway decisions to be made for the good of the highways and the citizens they serve, not extortion toys for Treason Treaties to end our nation.

Well maybe next time they will listen and do what they are told. Vote our way or no money for the highway.

Nope, doesnt sound like manipulating a vote to me.....

Yep....JP....we've heard it many times and it's our turn to say it now:

IT's OUR WAY OR THE HIGHWAY, Congresscritters!!

Not sure how this all connects together but according to this news report this Transportation Bill is the LARGEST PUBLIC WORKS bill ever passed and supports over 6,000 "pet projects" aka PORK.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editor ... rk_barrel/

Did some people get their projects cut because they voted the "wrong" way... sure, without a doubt.
Did alot of them still get their PORK, yeah they did.
Should these "pet projects" all been cut out of the bill, HELL YA but we know that these elected officals have to come home with the bacon for their districs in order to get relected. Without the bacon their money givers and special interest groups don't send them the big checks or free plane rides. And we all know that these public servants live off these gifts from surporters.
You really this these paid pollical whores aka elcted officals really care about Joe Voter? HA HA HA You funny !

You're right ArthurC--pet projects = pork.

If they didn't vote right on CAFTA, they didn't get their bacon.

Interesting too isn't it that in a year when our national debt is the highest in our history, the US Congress is planning lots of Public Works.

You need lots of Public Works to handle lots of People.

GET READY FOR THE FLOOD!!

Something MUST be done about PORK. That kind of baloney MUST BE STOPPED. I do give McCain credit for trying to stop that kind of abuse of power. At least, he has the courage to get up there and expose what they are doing with OUR money.

I heard the same thing about the SIZE of this bill and how much it's going to cost the taxpayers. All I can say is that Bush is making a MASSIVE mistake promising all of this PORK to people who vote like he wants them to vote. It's high time he started figuring out how he's going to pay for this war that Iraqi oil was supposed to pay for.

I do think we ought to start another letter writing campaign to our representatives DEMANDING that they stop being so irresponsible with OUR money. If we operated OUR budgets like Congress does theirs, we would be in the proverbial poor house.