Oberstar to Vote in Favor of 2008 Budget Bill

Today True is posting this entire news release from Oberstar. The news is very disappointing. Dems cave again!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Washington DC – Congressman Jim Oberstar says he will support the fiscal year 2008 omnibus appropriations bill that is coming before Congress today, even though it does not meet the long term needs on the country.

“This bill falls far short of the mark, but this budget package represents an improvement from President Bush’s misguided budget priorities,” said Oberstar. “I’m not happy with the bill, but it includes funding for many important Minnesota projects , including the final $195 million to replace the I-35W bridge, as well as over $90 million in funding for important projects and programs in Minnesota and the 8th District.”

Earlier this year, Congress approved a $500 billion defense spending bill that contains a $40 billion increase over fiscal year 2007 for the Department of Defense; that defense bill did not contain war funding which the Bush Administration designates as emergency funding. President Bush, however, was unwilling to accept an additional $22 billion sought by the new Democratic majority for the remaining 11 spending bills that fund our federal government. As a result, President Bush has succeeded in blocking essential investments in health care, education, and transportation.

“We wanted to take the equivalent of what we spend in Iraq in just two months and invest it in our own country. The President is spending billions in Iraq, but when it’s time to take care of our citizens here, he is not willing to compromise,” said Oberstar.

“The American people expect Congress to be fiscally disciplined, and to make investments that improve their quality of life that will save tax dollars in the long run,” continued Oberstar. “We were able to target funding to projects that are important to local communities; at the same time, we have enacted significant reforms in the earmarking process. The total amount of congressional earmarks is down by 42 percent over 2006, the last year of the Republican-led Congress.”

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The omnibus appropriations bill for FY 2008 is a combination of eleven appropriations bills that had already passed the House of Representatives. This spending bill also incorporates many of the compromises congressional leaders made with the White House.

Below is a list of funding for programs and projects included in this legislation at the request of Congressman Jim Oberstar:

Agriculture

• Wolf Predation Management in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, $779,000

Commerce-Justice-Science

• Northeast Law Enforcement Administrators Council, Methamphetamine Reduction Project - $747,300. To establish and enhance law enforcement task force efforts to reduce and eliminate the manufacturing, sale and distribution of methamphetamine and other drug related issues in Northeast Minnesota.
• Itasca County for the 9-11 Radio System - $376,000. This funding will allow Itasca County first responders, ambulance services, fire fighters, and law enforcement personnel to communicate with each other by tying into the 800 MHz System.
• Sheriffs Youth Programs of Minnesota Vocational Alternatives for Youth Offenders $47,000. This program expands vocational and life-skills training for at-risk youth.
• Minnesota State Patrol Districts located in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District - $47,000. To equip and train 100 State Patrol officers in Northeast Minnesota with state-of-the-art tasers.
• Minnesota State Patrol Districts in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District - $32,900. To purchase five K-9s to use for drug detection and seizure in Northeast Minnesota. Two K-9s will be assigned to the Virginia district, two to Brainerd and one to the Duluth district. The K-9s would be used on a daily basis for routine drug interdiction patrol duties and would also be available 24/7 to assist all area law enforcement agencies free of charge.
• Minnesota State Patrol Districts in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District - $18,800. To equip 100 state troopers assigned to Northeast Minnesota with digital cameras to be used for gathering evidence and documenting motor vehicle crash scenes.

Energy and Water

• Army Corps of Engineers Section 569 program, $1,873,000. In 1999 Oberstar created this program to fund water and sewer infrastructure projects in communities across Northeast Minnesota.
• Mille Lacs Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant project, $936,000.
• Laurentian Energy Authority Biomass project, $1 million.
• Koochiching County, $400,000 for the Renewable Energy Clean Air project
• Duluth-Superior Harbor, $4,028,000 for operation and maintenance
• Two Harbors Harbor of Refuge site, $340,000 for operation and maintenance.

Financial Services

• Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, Virginia, $282,000. To provide technical assistance to small businesses.

Homeland Security

• Arrowhead Regional Development Commission, $450,000 for FEMA pre-disaster mitigation. This funding will help local residents prevent property damage from fire and other natural disasters.

Interior

• City of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Public Utilities Commission, $1,000,000 for wastewater treatment facility.
• Koochiching Forest Legacy project, $3,500,000.
• Superior National Forest, $1, 250,000 for land acquisition.

Labor-HHS-Education

• Lutheran Social Services, Duluth, $390,000 for services to runaway, homeless and other at-risk youth and their families.
• Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency, Virginia, $292,000 for the Family-to-Family community based mentoring program to assist low-income families.
• Independent School District 181, Brainerd, $146,000 for its Teacher Support System project.

Military Construction

• Camp Ripley, $12,600,000 for the Combined Arms Collective Training Facility Phase II.
• Duluth 148th Air National Guard, $1,500,000 for a wing storage facility.

Transportation - HUD

• NorthStar Commuter Rail, MN, $55,000,000. The NorthStar Commuter Rail is a 40-mile commuter rail line running from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis with intermediate stations in Elk River, Anoka, and Coon Rapids. The project includes a five block extension of the Hiawatha LRT line to reach the downtown Minneapolis commuter rail station.
• Cambridge - Isanti Bike/Walk Trail, Cambridge, MN, $700,000. This project will provide a safe non-motorized route for students to school, residents and visitors to travel between the two communities.
• I-35/ MN TH95, North Branch, MN, $1,500,000. This funding will be used to reconstruct the interchange with I-35 and provides TH95 improvements in the City of North Branch.
• TH38 Improvements, Itasca County, MN, $500,000. This funding will provide the strengthening necessary to safely post this section of TH38 for 10 tons.
• Transit Bus Facilities, Duluth, MN, $400,000, to improve transit facilities in Duluth including: downtown hub, transfer facility, passenger facility improvements and operation center improvements, electronic fare improvements, security.
• Mesabi Academy of KidsPeace, Buhl, MN, $150,000. This funding will be used to expand its facility to provide additional therapeutic services.