Alabama has a legacy of electing members of Congress that over time acquire a knack for procuring federal funds for the state, oftentimes in the form of earmarks.
Congress ended this practice of earmarking a decade ago after Republicans took control of the body. However, House Democrats under the leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have brought earmarking back.
Some of the Republicans in Alabama’s congressional delegation have indicated they were open to resuming the process as well. However, U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) was not among those.
During an appearance on Mobile radio’s FM Talk 106.5, Palmer did not rule out the possibility of using the earmark process but indicated that for now, he did not think it was appropriate.
“I think clearly the Democrats want to use earmarks to try to buy votes,” he said. “That’s all they do anyway with their programs. So, that’s one issue. The other issue is the Biden administration bureaucrats will be making decisions on how to spend money or where to spend money, which is problematic. At the same time, I think earmarks in the past tend to be used by both parties to curry favor, and I’m against that. One of the things I think needs to be pointed out is that last $1.9 trillion stimulus bill is going to be sending millions, billions of dollars to state and local governments. And Jeff, I’m talking to people who are in city government, country government — they don’t know what to do with the money.”
“I just had breakfast with a mayor yesterday,” Palmer continued. “Their sales tax revenues were up 25%. I didn’t do any earmarks. I’m not condemning those who did. But one of the things that I would be asking is where is the need? They’ve got all this money coming in, and the country is going to hell in a handbasket. So, do I need to hand out another $10 million? I don’t think so. If I do, if I ever do an earmark, it is going to have to have a federal nexus. It’s going to have to be something that truly benefits the district. And I’m pretty sure it won’t be building a new park or something. We need to address some massive needs in this state in regard to infrastructure and broadband. Those two go together, as you well know.”
Among the needed improvements Palmer cited are the long-discussed I-10 Mobile Bay Bridge, U.S. Highway 72 and Interstate 565 westward toward Memphis, Tenn., the Northern Beltline for Birmingham and a connector to Interstate 10 in Florida for southeastern Alabama’s Dothan.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.
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