A critic of pork-barrel spending set a Broward-based project backed by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in his sights.
WASHINGTON -- A military project backed by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was one of more than 550 earmarks targeted this week by a longtime critic who took aim at lawmakers' funding requests for private companies.
The Broward Democrat secured $4.5 million for General Dynamics for a high-tech military radio system that has drawn criticism from government investigators for cost overruns. Wasserman Schultz, who has received $9,000 in campaign contributions from the company's employees' political action committee, defended the request, with a spokesman noting that the Virginia-based company has created jobs in South Florida.
``In the midst of the worst economic downturn in decades, General Dynamics made a major investment in South Florida last May when they opened a new engineering design center in Broward County, hiring nearly 200 people within a year and a half,'' spokesman Jonathan Beeton said. ``This request funds a radio program that has met cost and schedule milestones since program inception and incorporates cutting-edge technology that enhances our soldiers' ability to communicate in the field.''
Critics say such special projects requested by lawmakers -- often to benefit their home districts -- bloat the federal budget and aid the politically potent. Lawmakers say the projects are deserving of the money.
On her website, Wasserman Schultz says the radio system was requested by the military and ``will provide ground forces with secure networked voice, data, and video communications at the smallest possible size ... and lowest weight...''
An August 2008 report by Congressional investigators found that the Department of Defense had spent an estimated $12 billion on development and production of the new generation of radios -- more than the Navy spent on a line of submarines.
The Government Accountability Office found that because of technological hurdles and other reasons, costs had ballooned from $3.5 billion to $6 billion and delayed completion.
It noted that a traditional military vehicle radio costs about $20,000, while the new type, though more capable, may cost up to 10 times more.
``At some point, it's got to be far better for Congress and DOD to get together and figure out what's working and what's not,'' said Steve Ellis of the watchdog group, Taxpayers for Common Sense. ``At what point are you throwing good money after bad?''
A spokesman for General Dynamics said the company's portion of the project -- creating smaller hand-held radios -- is within budget, on schedule ``and has been since the initiation of the program four years ago.''
The provision was included in a $636 billion Pentagon spending bill that cleared the House by a 400-to-30 vote Thursday.
Longtime earmark critic Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, offered more than 550 amendments to remove earmarks, singling out projects in which the money is directed to private companies. He argued on the House floor that by naming specific companies, lawmakers were bypassing competitive bidding.
``Members of Congress should not have the ability to award no-bid contracts,'' Flake said in a release. ``Even worse, many times the recipients of these earmarks are campaign contributors.''
Rep. Bill Young, R-St. Petersburg, who has secured millions in defense earmarks, countered that members of Congress can play a critical role in funding key programs.
``They don't have all of the knowledge,'' he said of the White House and the Pentagon. ``They don't have all of the wisdom.''
General Dynamics spokesman Robert Doolittle noted that the radio system Wasserman Schultz backs was awarded after competitive bids and that the company ``supports members and candidates who support U.S. troops and who support a strong national defense.''
Among the earmarks in the bill were more than 70 for ex-clients of the PMA Group, a now-defunct lobbying firm that is under investigation by the Justice Department and the House Ethics Committee.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz defends earmark (Miami Herald)
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