Posted on 07/22/2013 7:23:47 AM PDT by george76
A former top aide to then-Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is at the center of a controversy over a suspended federal water-conservation program. Rebecca R. Wodder, a senior advisor to the Interior Secretary on rivers, declined to appear before the House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday afternoon.
As the hearing began, a white placard bearing Wodder’s name in black type was placed at the eastern end of a mahogany table and in front of an empty chair.
“Unfortunately, the Department will be unable to send a witness to the hearing,” committee spokeswoman Mallory Micetich said an Interior Department official told the committee.
In an email interview, Interior Department spokeswoman Jessica Kerhaw did not explain the reason for Wodder’s decision to decline to testify in front of the congressional panel.
Earlier Wednesday, Interior Secretary Sally Jewel announced a “pause” for the National Blueways program, acknowledging criticisms of the 14-month-old initiative as an effort to restrict water and land rights.
...
Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Cortez) a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, suggested Wodder’s decision was similar to that of embattled IRS official Lois Lerner’s not to testify to Congress in May.
“A pattern is developing where even agency officials won’t defend the administration’s bad policies. Their silence speaks volumes,” Tipton said
(Excerpt) Read more at thecoloradoobserver.com ...
Wodders created the Blueways program when she was the head of the leftist organization : American Rivers.
Colorado Ping ( Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)
The department was unable to supply someone...what do these bureaucrat morons in Washington do most of the time? Probably they were too busy sitting at their desks harassing companies and citizens with their ridiculous regulations. Fire them all. We’d be better off for it.
Yep, all these “Progressives” are as rotten as they come.
The Obama Regime is Fascist to the core.
Fire them? When we have lampposts?
Part of their job is to appear before Congressional comittees to report and answer questions. The obama administration is trying to bypass congress by stonewalling, lying and being absent. The worse that ever happens is they getb a paid suspension and transfer, most likely at higher pay. Any department that does not give full coperation to Congress should be defunded, of course we only have a half dozen or so Congressmen that would actually do anything about this.
More like to be insulted and ridiculed
The GOP house has been throwing $h-t against the wall since Jan 2011 hoping something would stick and it never has. You'd think they would learn better.
I think part of the failure is the GOP house. They shrug off the stonewalling and don’t persue with subpeonas or enforce them.
Many members of this administration are easily insulted and interpret the reaction to their disrespect and lack of coperation as being ridiculed.
I don’t consider “Fast and Furious” “Benghazi” or the “IRS scandal” as “throwing $h-t against the wall”. These need to be resolved and haven’t been seriously persued, Congress should stay on these with all the tools at their disposal.
Do you believe these are “$h-t” issues and should not be persued? Do you believe Republicans should quit badgering, insulting, ridiculing these loyal faithful devoted government employees that only have our best intrest at heart?
Some of it is egregious. What Issa did to Pickering is unforgivable. It is not right to try to destroy a careerist only because you can't get a political appointee.
As for this Blueways program, I have knowledge on it because my local rivers are to be included. More rightwing showboating.
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