Spending by Congress: 2 not after ‘pork’ funds. Kilroy seeks earmarks; Tiberi, Austria don’t
SPENDING BY CONGRESS
2 not after ‘pork’ funds
Kilroy seeks earmarks; Tiberi, Austria don’t
By Jonathan Riskind and Jack Torry THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
WASHINGTON — It isn’t that David L. Hobson of Springfield is suddenly switching party allegiance or wavering in his support of a protégé or a former congressional colleague.
But when it comes to earmarks, those oft-criticized but still muchsought-after federal dollars for local projects, Hobson, a former GOP congressman, is closer politically these days to the views of Democratic Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy of Columbus than he is to his 7th District replacement, GOP Rep. Steve Austria of Beavercreek, or to GOP Rep. Pat Tiberi of Genoa Township.
Tiberi, elected in 2000, hasn’t gone after taxpayer dollars for central Ohio projects since 2007. Austria says he is not pursuing earmarks in his first year in office “due to the out-of-control spending that is taking place in Congress that is not focused enough on the economy and creating jobs.”
That leaves Kilroy as the main central Ohio lawmaker left to go after earmarks for projects such as Ohio State University research initiatives and local road improvements. (The southeastern Ohio district of Rep. Zack Space stretches into eastern Licking County, and the Dover Democrat seeks money for some area projects, too.)
Hobson said he understands that earmarks, which critics call pet projects, are under scrutiny. Federal investigations and ethics probes are reportedly under way, examining connections between earmarks and campaign contributions. Longtime critics of earmarks continue to blast them as wasteful political pork.
Hobson said it is “not inappropriate” for Austria and Tiberi to “take a timeout” on earmarks, but he hopes they will reconsider next year.
They “can go for earmarks that I think will help the community,” he said. “I thought we did some good things.”
By the time Hobson left Congress after nine terms, he was a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. In his last year in office, Hobson won nearly $61 million in “solo” earmarks, ranking fifth among the House’s 435 members, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonprofit watchdog group critical of earmarks.
Hobson, who is president of Vorys Advisors but is not lobbying former colleagues yet because he has not been out of office for a year, is among those who received campaign contributions from recipients of earmarks over the years.
He said he focused on job-creating projects, such as the Rickenbacker Airport intermodal hub.
Kilroy also cites jobs as her reason for seeking more than $87 million worth of earmarks. She wound up getting about $12.3 million worth of projects, although a number of 2010 spending bills are pending, so that number could drop a bit in the final tally. Her total is a fairly typical result for a freshman, albeit one whom leaders want to help because she comes from a crucial swing district.
“I am glad that I am here from central Ohio advocating for our community,” Kilroy said.
Still, because of recent scandals and the resulting scrutiny, “it’s possible both members and leadership in Congress are more cautious about earmarks than in the past,” said John Green, director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
Tiberi, referring to former Republican Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham of California, said “we have a congressman in jail because of the earmarking process.”
And although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D- Calif., was attacking earmarks in the 2006 election campaign, dozens of members are being investigated, in part related to earmarks, Tiberi added.
“We have a system that is broken,” Tiberi said. “I’m not opposed to earmarks. ... But you can’t change a system if you participate in it.”
Kilroy asked for $5 million for the Edison Welding Institute to help support creative responsive manufacturing clusters aimed at increasing production of advanced-energy products. The House agreed to send $500,000.
In a tight budget year, even getting that much is “a huge win for Ohio and the central Ohio region in particular,” said Kimberly Gibson, the director of the institute’s Advanced Energy Manufacturing Center.
Austria, when asked whether he might change his mind and request earmarks next year, said in a statement: “I am reassessing how my office can be most productive in partnering together with our local communities and businesses to create jobs.”
jriskind@dispatch.com
jtorry@dispatch.com
