The Senate is going to take up a bill tomorrow that fiscal conservatives need to be aware of.

It’s S. 782, the “Economic Development Revitalization Act of 2011” We’ve issued a Key Vote Alert calling for a “NO” vote on S. 782.

This bill reauthorizes the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), which costs $500 million a year, and has proven to be nothing more than a dumping ground for pork projects. Here’s just some of the wasteful projects that the EDA has spent our tax dollars on:

• $120,000 to the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, Inc., Staten Island, Richmond County, New York, to fund a feasibility study to determine best practices for establishing a “”green zone”” on an underutilized portion of industrial land on Staten Island’s western shore.
• $600,000 to Operation HOPE, Inc. of Los Angeles, California, to fund the HOPE Financial Literacy Empowerment Center in Atlanta.
• $500,000 to the Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, Texas, to fund a feasibility study, design, and final plans and specifications of a LEED-certified museum building and headquarters for the Mexic-Arte Museum.
• $1,638,799 to the New England Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, Inc., Lowell, Massachusetts, to fund the activities of the New England Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (TAAC) in Lowell, which serves firms located in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, to strengthen their competitiveness in the worldwide marketplace.
• $2 million to the Water Works and Sewer Board of the City of Thomasville, Alabama, to fund the construction of core infrastructure improvements to the City of Thomasville’s water system.

If conservatives want to cut spending, then this dumping ground for pork projects sure seems like a good place to start.

Please join me in opposing S. 782.

Best,
Chris Chocola
President, Club for Growth