[GVnana]

"IN DEFENSE OF HAM"

Release No. 0322.09
Contact:
Office of Communication 202-720-4623

Response to Drudge Item on Recovery Act Funding

Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

"Through the Recovery Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has made $100 million available to the states for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which acquires food that is distributed to local organizations that assist the needy – including food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens.

The Recovery Act funds referenced in press reports allowed states to purchase ham, cheese and dairy products for these food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries that provide assistance to people who otherwise do not have access to food. This program will help reduce hunger of those hardest hit by the current economic recession.

The references to "2 pound frozen ham sliced" are to the sizes of the packaging. Press reports suggesting that the Recovery Act spent $1.191 million to buy "2 pounds of ham" are wrong.

Excerpt -

Memo to Tom Vilsack: Most readers of Drudge are smart enough to figure out the price per pound. It's you and your staff we worry about.

[US Navy Vet]

And then there’s this: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99I9O3O0&show_article=1

[RichInOC]

“Porking like there’s no tomorrow? I’m down!”

[P-Marlowe]

The Recovery Act funds referenced in press reports allowed states to purchase ham, cheese and dairy products for these food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries that provide assistance to people who otherwise do not have access to food.

Sounds like they expect another Great Depression.

[Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296510/posts

[johncocktoasten]

How is Tom going to explain 1.1 million spent to repair the door of bldg 5122?

[johncocktoasten]

As word of this insanity gets out, look for -7bama to become -15bama. He will lose all independents as most times they are the socially liberal, fiscally conservative types.

[Jeff Chandler]

AWARDED: $16,784,272 FOR 'CANNED PORK'...

If it said "PICKLED PORK" I would suspect the money was going to Ted Kennedy.

[HollyB]

Maybe it’s being picky, but according to TEFAP website, their ‘ham’ is available in 3 lb pkgs, not 2 lb. packages. Considering they just purchased millions of dollars in cheese, there isn’t any cheese in their pantry.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/foods/fy09-tefapfoods.pdf
(Available foods)

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/tefap/ (Homepage)

[GOPJ]

$1,444,100 FOR 'REPAIR DOOR BLDG 5112'...

The MSM won't care - Dem "corruption" is "old news" as it's happening. The MSM's as corrupt in their biased reporting as the dems are in their million dollar door repairs...

[libertarian27]

Here’s a small one:
“TAS::16 1700::TAS
20 LIBERTY MESH CHAIRS FOR EBSA-OPPEM CONFERENCE ROOM.”
$9,435.00

All porkulus as of 7/17/09 can be found here-It’s fun!!!
www.fpdsng.com/downloads/top_requests/TAS_Report.xls

Above link is an excel sheet of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as of July 17th.
Copy and Paste in your address bar, interesting reading.

[kabar]

We need to through this information state by state. This should be a gold mine for the GOP, especially in the upcoming elections in VA and NJ.

[Freedom56v2]

You will all love this— prior to his inauguration, the dear leader talks about our “deficit of accountability and trust”

...he goes on after his sppech to appoint the “chief performance officer” (aka CZAR) to eliminate waste and foster transparency....

“now more efficient and effective government”...guess not.

Oh side bar, they are DELAYING RELEASING THE JULY BUDGET—wonder why.

This You-Tube clip is destined to become a classic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mq96xTompY

[Texas Mulerider]

LOL. Matt Drudge is having fun with this.

[Redcloak]

That's bu-u-u-u- bu-u-u-u- bu-u-u-u- a big pile of crap.

[visualops]

That kind of quantity no way should one be paying retail. Unless you are an idiot or a price gouging POS.

[dancusa]

Obama is nothing but Spam in a can.

[Uncle Miltie]

There is a series of questionable transactions on that list that have a "Completion Date" (column O) of 04/03/2006, FOR WORK APPARENTLY COMPLETED THREE YEARS AGO!

Not surprisingly, the VENDOR IS FROM CHICAGO, 0bummer's home town. It is for work in Washington, D.C., totals over $10,000,000, and is labeled as follows:

"TAS::47 4543::TAS ARRA - RECOVERY PACKAGE 5 SECURITY FENCE & GATES"
"TAS::47 4543::TAS ARRA - RECOVERY PACKAGE 10 UTILITIES MASTER PLAN PACKAGE""
"TAS::47 4543::TAS ARRA - RECOVERY PACKAGE 6 LANDSCAPE MSTER PLAN THRU DESIGN DEVELOPMENT""
"TAS::47 4543::TAS ARRA - RECOVERY PACKAGE 7 SITE UTILITIES""
"TAS::47 4543::TAS ARRA - RECOVERY PACKAGE 2 - DHS PARKING DECK""
"TAS::47 4543::TAS ARRA - RECOVERY PACKAGE 9 SITE UTILITIES""
"TAS::70 0118::TAS ARRA - RECOVERY PACKAGE 3 ADAPTIVE REUSE BLDGS.""
"TAS::70 0118::TAS ARRA - RECOVERY PACKAGE 13 - SPACE ANALYSIS FOR THE SHARED USE BUILDINGS ON CAMPUS""

Why is 0bummer paying $10M to Chicagoans for work done three years ago?

What was the work?

Is anyone at the vendor Perkins + Will a connect 0bamma worshipper?

Why is payment for 3 year old work "stimulative"?

[Uncle Miltie]

Why are these two items for the Air Force for about $80K each scheduled to be completed in 2054, FORTY FIVE YEARS FROM NOW?

TAS::57 3404::TAS - PRIMARY ELECTRICAL TO SUPPORT DAY STREET GATE PROJECT
TAS::57 3404::TAS - PRIMARY ELECTRICAL TO SUPPORT CONSTRUCTION OF COMBAT SKILL TRAINING SITE

How is spending 45 years from now "stimulative?"

[Lmo56]

Too bad for Vilsack that Louise Beavers (the cook in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House) has died ...

Otherwise in defense of ham, he coulda trotted her out to deliver her famous line, “If you ain’t eating Wham, you ain’t eating Ham.”

[Boardwalk]

Why pork?

Would Muslims have to eat the pork too? If not, what is the food the government proposes to feed that population or is this thing racist?