Posted on 10/19/2010 6:51:19 AM PDT by ejdrapes
Despite vocal criticism of the federal stimulus package and a re-election campaign that trades heavily on her opposition to it, Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann sought stimulus funding on at least seven occasions last year.
The requests, which came in August and September of 2009, were released Sunday by the investigative journalism site Center for Public Integrity.
They include a request for funding for a $150 million expansion of the Northstar commuter rail line to St. Cloud — something Bachmann had declined to back just months earlier.
The Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan Washington-based group, said Bachmann was among almost 2,000 GOP and Democratic stimulus opponents who wrote behind-the-scenes
letters requesting funds for projects.
Bachmann defended her request for money from the $787 billion stimulus package, even though in her latest ads she refers to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as "the failed (House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi trillion-dollar stimulus."
In a statement, she continued to attack the package, which she voted against, saying it has been misspent.
"It is my obligation as a member of Congress to ensure stimulus dollars are spent on the most worthy projects," Bachmann said in a statement. "I did just that when I supported applications for the (stimulus) grant program."
(Excerpt) Read more at twincities.com ...
She did request funds after the bill was passed. There was no sense in not requesting funds for projects after that fact. She voted against the money, but since it was spent, she decided she should try to spend it on things that would help her district.
Don’t watch sausage being made.
Don’t worry....this is just a hit story against a great politician.
Get used to more crap like this from the Soros Smear Center (and, yes - this one has ties to Soros through the Huffington Post, and also Progressive funders such as the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Joyce Foundation).
They will target whoever they fear, and they fear Michelle Bachmann.
Depending on the project for which the money was obtained, children can benefit.
these projects OBVIOUSLY are not worthy or the state or local would have already funded them.
Not necessarily. Many states are having difficulty making ends meet as well, so they are slashing budgets (or raising taxes). Even if they aren't "worthy" according to you or me, I can understand Bachman's thinking. She stood against it, but she lost that battle. The money is going to be spent anyway, whether she gets any for her area or not. And her constituents are going to be footing the bill whether they take any of it or not. Might as well get some of their dollars back into the local community.
I'm torn. I certainly didn't want it passed. Now that it has passed, I don't think I want to pay for it without getting some of it back.
“...yeah...you are not conservative..”
Or perhaps you are not intelligent.
“..Then don’t condemn the program and criticize those who supported it if you’ve got your nose in the trough along side them...”
I condemn Social Security as an unsustainable Ponzi scheme. Michelle Bachmann condemned the stimulus program.
They forced me to pay into SS anyway. Congress passed the stimulus over Michelle’s objections.
By your reasoning should I not accept my SS checks?
By your reasoning.
Exactly. I cannot believe anyone with common sense would complain about this.
By MY reasoning? How so?
There’s your non-sequitur right there.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.