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....December 3, 12:56 AM |
| What Congress Brought To Queens
By Azi Paybarah and Jack Buehrer Queens sent six Democratic lawmakers to Congress last week, where they helped shape the federal government’s $338 billion spending bill for the coming year. While a flurry of congratulatory faxes and e-mails were sent from each member trumpeting the money they brought back to their districts, budget watchdogs on both ends of the ideological spectrum noted there is a price for such rewards.
That bill represents only a 1 percent increase in domestic spending from previous years. “It is hardly an austere budget,” said Director of Budget Studies Stephen Slivinski, of the Cato Institute, a self-described libertarian think tank. “It would be austere if you cut spending,” he said. “If you look at the kind of things that are in it, spending is still going up.” That 1 percent increase in domestic spending represents an ongoing problem, according to former Congress member and budget analyst Bill Frenzel of the left-leaning Brookings Institute. “Now they are still spending above the rate of inflation, so they haven’t got it right yet, and they haven’t made any cuts,” said Frenzel, a Republican who represented Minnesota’s Third District for 20 years. The problem of pork spending is not exclusively found in one party, or in one region of the country. “When they get to spending, they get into cahoots.” What keeps the spending limit “going up,” according to Slivinksi, is pork barrel projects, or, money in the congressional budget bills earmarked for specific districts instead of autonomous agencies. “This is quite unusual for a budget bill, because when budgets are written, its for federal agencies [and state legislatures].” Those entities are supposed to be able to dole out funds at their discretion. Pork spending “seems to imply that congress can make a good decision on a small geographical region,” said Slivinksi. The reason for pork, according to Slivinski, is two-fold: bragging rights, and getting votes. Although some members will lament the growing deficit, when it comes to pork, “he’ll come back and brag about it.” Pork also brings both sides of the aisle together, Slivinski said. Projects earmarked for a particular member’s district can “ensure passage or a veto proof majority,” on proposed legislation. “They start piling on project individual members will like.” Frenzel said “it’s no longer members of the Appropriation Committee who get (Pork). Everybody gets it.” While Frenzel and Slivinski argue dollars and cents, others see another criteria by which to judge federal spending: hearts and lives. Queens Hospital Center, which received $400,000 from that bill, will be able to “provide a higher level of colorectal and colonoscopy screenings and thereby saving many more lives of our patients,” according to spokesperson Lata Vasconcellos. Thankful for the funds, Vasconcellos called its source, Congressman Gregory Meeks, “a friend to the hospital” who “translated that into funding so that we can really address the needs in the community. We’re greatly appreciative.” Another local happy with what lawmakers brought home from Washington is Tony Nunziato, Vice President of Maspeth Town Hall, which received $100,000 for after-school programs. “A lot of the moms and pops work now and the kids are going home to an empty house. This will give them an opportunity to have sort of an extended family.” Based on announcements from each Congress member in the borough, Queens will take home more than $15,135,000 from the Omnibus Appropriations Bill. |
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